HAVERFORD, Pa. – Led by Alex Hudak's six hits and five RBIs, the top of the order for the Haverford College baseball team had a strong day at the plate Saturday afternoon at Kannerstein Field, but the Fords dropped both games of a Centennial Conference doubleheader against visiting McDaniel College by scores of 13-10 and 10-5.
Haverford (13-14, 5-3 CC) had won its last five conference outings before running into the Green Terror (14-8, 3-5).
Hudak was 4-for-5 with five RBIs in the Game 1 loss. His three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning gave the Fords a temporary 7-6 lead. He doubled twice and scored twice during Game 2.
Casey Fox, batting third, two spots ahead of Hudak, was 5-for-9 on the day. He scored four of the Fords' 10 runs in Game 1 and his day included a triple in each game.
The Fords' lead-off hitter, Nick Miranda, also put together a solid day with five hits, two RBIs, a stolen base and one run scored.
Jeremy Zoll added to the Game 1 bats with a pair of singles and three RBIs, and Justin Coulter provided needed lumber (or metal) in Game 2 with a 3-for-5 outing that included a fourth-inning two-run home run and a sixth-inning double that bounced off the yellow safety guarding at the top of the fence before falling back into the field of play.
McDaniel brought their bats along, too, and rapped out 15 hits in its Game 1 victory and 13 more in Game 2.
Four errors proved costly for the Fords in the opening game loss as the Green Terror notched four unearned runs off reliever Bryan Henrick over the seventh and eighth innings to take back the lead after Hudak's fifth-inning blast over the fence in left-center field.
Still, Haverford battled to the last out in Game 1 scoring three runs and putting the tying run at the plate, twice, with runners at first and third in the bottom of the ninth before McDaniel reliever James Chiorello could extinguish the rally.
Henrick (1-5) took the loss in Game 1 while Green Terror starter Danny Snight (4-2) earned the win pitching into the bottom of the seventh after his teammates had plated three unearned runs in the top half of the inning to wrest back the lead.
McDaniel scored the big blow in the top of the eighth of Game 2.
Haverford reliever Jonny Black, who entered the game in relief of starter Michael de Armas to start the fourth, had settled in after surrendering two runs in the fifth. He loaded the bases in the eighth, however, and handed the ball to Mike Bozzi whose first pitch to Brandon Hayward cleared the right field fence under the scoreboard for a damaging grand slam that pushed the McDaniel lead to 10-2.
As in the opener, the Fords battled back by scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning but it wouldn't be enough as the Green Terror were able to close out the sweep.
de Armas (0-2) took the loss for the Fords surrendering two earned and two unearned runs off eight hits over three innings. McDaniel starter Zach Jones (2-2) picked up the win throwing seven innings and allowing two runs off eight Haverford hits.
The Fords will try to get back on the winning track in the upcoming week, beginning with a home-and-home Centennial series against Ursinus College. The Fords travel to Collegeville, Pa., on Tuesday, April 10 for the first of the two games and the Bears make the trip to Kannerstein on Friday, April 13 for the second game. Both outings start at 3:30 p.m.