LAKEWOOD, N.J. - Haverford College broke in front with an early run before stretching the advantage to three over Alvernia University on Wednesday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA 2012 Mid-Atlantic baseball regional, but Alvernia finally got on the scoreboard with runs in three consecutive innings to down the Fords, 8-3, at FirstEnergy Field.
Haverford (24-18) falls out of the winner's bracket and will take on the loser of Wednesday's final game, between No. 2 seed Kean University and seventh-seed Drew University, in an elimination game at 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 17. Alvernia (31-12-1) takes on the winner of the Kean-Drew game in Thursday's evening game.
Nick Miranda sparked the Fords' offense with a 3-for-4 day collecting an RBI and scoring the opening run of the game in the top of the first. Casey Fox drove home Miranda to pick up an RBI and Bobby Hubley registered the other RBI, pushing home Jeremy Zoll in the fifth inning.
Leading off the game, Miranda drove an offering from Alvernia starter Aaron Benusis up the middle past diving second baseman Brok Martin. A stolen base, hit batter and passed ball later, Miranda stood on third with Jake Chaplin at second when Fox's ground out to the shortstop was deep enough for Miranda to race home.
Following a missed scoring opportunity in the top of the third, the Fords were able to add their second run in the fifth. Hubley worked Benusis for a walk and eventually scored on Miranda's second hit of the game, a single deep in the hole at short. Hubley's sacrifice fly in the fifth brought Zoll home to push the Haverford lead to 3-0.
Haverford starter Tommy Bergjans was setting them up and putting them down in the early going of Wednesday's outing. He struck out two batters in a quick 1-2-3 first inning and allowed only a harmless single in the second. The defense came to his rescue in the third with a one-out double-play to end the inning as second baseman Mike Tentilucci flipped a Brian Witkowski grounder to shortstop William Bannard whose quick pivot and throw to Chance Griffiths ended the inning.
Double-play balls helped Bergjans in the fourth and fifth innings, as well, but Alvernia finally found a crack in the armor and put up one earned and one unearned run against the Haverford right-hander to trim the lead to one.
Two more runs in the seventh allowed the Crusaders to slip in front, and a four-run eighth put the game out of reach.
Bergjans (6-4) took the loss lasting 6.1 innings for the Fords allowing four runs, two earned, on nine hits and one walk while fanning four. Kevin Goff came on in thae seventh and went 1.1 innings surrendering four runs on five hits, one walk and a strikeout.
Rich Collins (2-1) came in to relieve Benusis in the fifth and pitched a strong 2.1 innings to earn the win, giving up just one hit and no walks with one strikeout.
The loss ends a six-game winning streak by the Fords who must win on Thursday to prevent the end of the season from coming too early.