HAVERFORD, Pa. – The No. 2 seed Haverford College baseball team belted a season-high four home runs en route to a 15-3 victory over visiting No. 3 seed Swarthmore College in the first round of the Centennial Conference tournament Friday afternoon. The victory is the 200th career win for head coach Dave Beccaria.
Haverford (23-14) took advantage of three Garnet errors which led to seven unearned runs. Jake Kaden blasted two home runs while Chase Kennedy and Charlie Carluccio (grand slam) both hit round-trippers as well.
The Fords did not need much run support for starter Colin Sarafin (7-0) who tossed his fifth career complete game to remain perfect on the season. Sarafin struck out five and walked just one in 9.0 innings. After allowing just four baserunners through the first four innings Sarafin gave up three runs in the fifth, but finished strong, retiring seven on the final eight batters in order.
Kennedy blasted a leadoff homer to left center to get the Fords on the board in the third inning. With two outs, Jake Chaplin singled and stole second. Chaplin came around to score on Carluccio's ground ball to third that was misplayed by Swarthmore (19-17). Carluccio moved to second on the play and came home on Jeff Butera's single.
In the fourth, Bobby Bailey singled with one out. After Kennedy flied out, Kaden homered to left center to make the score 5-0.
The Garnet cut into Haverford's lead with a three-run fifth, but in the bottom of the frame the Fords scored another run on a Swarthmore error as Chaplin came in to score.
Kaden greeted relief pitcher Neil Meija by hitting his second home run of the day to lead off the sixth. Meija loaded the bases later in the inning and walked in a run with two outs.
The Fords tacked on a run in the seventh and poured on six in the eighth inning. Carluccio delivered the knockout punch with a grand slam to right field to provide the final margin.
Dylan Jensen (4-3) was tagged with the loss, giving up six runs – four earned – in 5.0 innings. The Garnet used five relief pitchers to get through the final four innings.
Five Fords had multi-hit games. Chaplin went 4-for-5 and scored three runs. Kennedy and Kaden both collected a pair of hits.
The tournament now moves to Baltimore, Md. as Haverford takes on top-seed and No. 1-ranked Johns Hopkins University Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The Blue Jays defeated fourth-seed Washington College, 8-2, Friday. The winner of Saturday's Haverford-Hopkins game advances to Sunday's championship. The loser faces the winner of Saturday's first game between Swarthmore and Washington at 4 p.m.