HAVERFORD, Pa. - Haverford College's 28th-ranked baseball team battered Washington College pitching Sunday afternoon in a key Centennial Conference doubleheader, taking a pair from the visiting Shoremen by scores of 9-2 and 14-3.
The Fords (26-5, 11-3 CC) rapped out a combined 29 hits in the twin bill sweep of Washington (16-13, 7-6), and maintained their hold on at least a tie for the top spot in the league standings with Johns Hopkins University.
Game 1 starting pitcher Bryan Henrick picked up all the run support he would need in the second and third innings.
Jeremy Zoll led the bottom of the second off with a home run to left-center field, the first earned run all season surrendered to a Centennial opponent by Washington starter Shane Mattingly.
With one out in the bottom of the third, Haverford received consecutive hits from Louis DeRosa, Jake Chaplin and Charlie Carluccio to spark a three-run inning. DeRosa singled through the right side then scored on Chaplin's triple off the top of the fence in left-center. Carluccio knocked in Chaplin with a single, eventually moved to third base later in the inning, and came in for the frame's third run on an RBI ground-out from Zoll.
The Fords pushed three more across the plate off Mattingly in the fourth and added two more off reliever Ryan Mulhearn in the sixth.
Jeff Butera was a perfect 4-for-4 in the game and collected three RBI. Carluccio and Mike Galetta each had a two-hit game for Haverford, and Zoll and Carluccio accumulated two RBI apiece in the victory.
Henrick (6-1) earned the complete-game win allowing only two runs, both in the top of the final inning, on nine Washington hits and two walks while also striking out three. Mattingly (4-3), who entered the game with a 1.89 ERA, took the loss giving up seven runs off 11 hits and a walk.
The Shoreman jumped on the scoreboard first in the nightcap when Ryan Normoyle carved a long fly ball off Fords starting pitcher Colin Sarafin just inside the left field foul pole with two outs in the top of the first inning.
An unearned run off Sarafin in the second added to the Washington lead but Galetta cut the margin in half with his own home run over the left field fence in the home half of the second.
Washington added another unearned run in the third but Haverford knotted the game up in the bottom of the inning behind consecutive singles from William Bannard and DeRosa, followed by a two-RBI double down the left field line by Chaplin.
The next four innings likely decided the game, for while Sarafin was throwing scoreless innings, allowing just three base runners, the Fords were putting four more runs on the board.
Washington, trailing now by four, threatened in the eighth loading the bases against reliever Patrick Falkoff. The freshman right-hander picked up the inning's second out on a force play then closed the door with an easy come-backer to the mound. Mike Bozzi pitched a scoreless ninth for Haverford after the home team had added six more runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Six different Fords collected multi-hit games in the nightcap, led by DeRosa's three RBI, three hit game and Bannard's three hit, three run outing. Chaplin also registered a three RBI game in the win.
Sarafin (4-1) earned the victory throwing seven innings and allowing three runs, of which two were unearned, off four Shoremen hits and three walks while fanning four.
Shoremen starter Kyle Aldrich (3-3) took the loss after giving up seven runs on 10 hits and a walk.
Sunday began with three teams tied atop the Centennial standings but only two survived the day unscathed. The Fords and Johns Hopkins both earned doubleheader sweeps but Franklin & Marshall College split a doubleheader with Dickinson College to fall behind the leaders.
Haverford's next game is Wednesday in Lancaster, Pa., against F&M followed by a Friday match-up at home on Class of '16 Field against those same Diplomats.