COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Down to their final two outs and trailing by a run, Matt Liscovitz doubled home the tying run in the top of the ninth inning, then singled and scored the go-ahead run in the 11th to help Haverford College rally for a 4-1 victory over host Ursinus College in Centennial Conference baseball action Monday afternoon at Thomas Field.
Haverford (24-7, 9-5 CC) trailed the Bears (6-24, 2-12) from the bottom of the first inning as the home team pushed an unearned run across the plate against starting pitcher Casey Fox.
A fielding error opened the door for the home team which took advantage of the miscue with a single through the right side by Chris Jablonski that scored Ralph Aurora from third.
Fox was stellar on the mound despite the unearned mark on the scoreboard, pitching 10 innings of three-hit ball while walking two and striking out six. He earned the victory (3-0) to remain unbeaten on the year but following the Fords' three-run 11th he gave way to Kevin Goff who sat the side down in order to claim the save, his fourth of the spring.
Justin Coulter led off the top of the ninth inning with a single through the right side of the Ursinus infield. Marley Randazzo came on for Coulter as a pinch runner and, following a pop-up to the second baseman for the first out of the inning, Randazzo raced around the bases on Liscovitz's drive to center field. The Bears were able to close out the inning without further damage but extra innings now loomed ahead.
With Fox still the pitcher of record in the top of the 11th, Liscovitz stepped into the box with two outs and beat out the throw to first on a chopper into the hole at shortstop. Ursinus' Chris Ryder, on in relief of starting pitcher Jake Kohler who lasted 10 innings and finished with a no decision, hit Nick Ott to put runners at first and second for Mike Tentilucci.
Over the previous 10 innings the Fords weren't without their chances as they left seven runners on base and were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
The 10th time was the charm, however, as Mike Tentilucci's two-out single to center field scored Liscovitz with the go-ahead run and moved Ott up to second base. A double steal put runners at second and third for William Bannard who pushed a single into right field through a drawn up infield, allowing both Ott and Tentilucci to cross the plate for two more runs.
Ryder induced a fly out to right to end the inning but for the first time in the game the home team would head into it's half of an inning trailing.
Goff picked up the first out of the bottom of the 11th on a fly out to right, then struck out Josh Schnell and Kevin Wilson to end the game and preserve the come-from-behind win by the Fords.
Coulter finished the day with three hits before leaving for the pinch runner in the ninth. Each of Liscovitz's two hits, the RBI-double in the ninth and the one-out single in the 11th, resulted in runs for Haverford. Tentilucci and Fox also registered a pair of hits apiece in the win.
Ryder (1-4) suffered the loss for Ursinus giving up all three of the 11th-inning runs on Haverford three hits. Kohler's line went 10 innings with only one run allowed on nine hits and a a walk.
Haverford travels to Lancaster, Pa., on Tuesday for the first of a pair of Centennial match-ups during the week against Franklin & Marshall College. Following Tuesday's game at F&M, the Fords host Gwynedd-Mercy College on Wednesday at Kannerstein Field in non-conference action with F&M making the trip to Kannerstein on Friday.