FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Haverford College baseball team outlasted Saint John's (Minn.) on Thursday at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic, prevailing in 10 innings by a final score of 4-1.Will Karp scored on a wild pitch for the go-ahead run and Sam Partee delivered a two-RBI single in the final frame to give Haverford the cushion it needed to nail down victory.
Haverford improves to 4-2 while Saint John's, a team receiving votes in the latest D3Baseball/NCBWA Poll, falls to 7-5.
Haverford was largely stymied by Saint John's starter Nick Noack, who went 8 innings and allowed just one run while striking out five. The Fords' bats were able to get Noack into some trouble, with nine hits, but the Johnnies hurler was able to work out of it.
Brandon Jenkins got the starting call for Haverford, going 4.2 scoreless innings, surrendering just three hits and walking a pair.
The Fords pushed the first run of the contest through in the top of the second inning. Partee doubled and Nick Perez traded places with him after a two-out RBI double.
Saint John's was able to tie the score in the bottom of the eighth in the final inning of work for reliever John Masella, who pitched valiantly over 3.1 frames. Wyatt Ulrich singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch, moving to third on a groundout to the right side of the infield. With two away, a pitch got away from Masella as Ulrich scored the tying run on the wild pitch.
Fittingly, Haverford scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the extra frame. Will Karp walked to lead off the inning and Ethan Lee-Tyson moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. After Spencer Sohmer singled to advance Karp to third, new Saint John's pitcher Joey Stock (1-1) uncorked a wild pitch of his own, allowing Karp to plate the go-ahead run. Ben Verducci singled ahead of Partee, who gave the Fords some breathing room, singling home a pair for the 4-1 advantage.
Patrick O'Shea (1-0) picked up the win with two innings of scoreless relief. After walking the first two in the bottom of the 10th, O'Shea responded, striking out Jeron Terres before inducing flyouts off the bats of Cameron Jurek and Blake Langerud to end the contest in the win column for the Fords.
Partee led the way offensively with four hits in five plate appearances, Sohmer finished 3-fo-4 and Matt Goss was 3-for-5 with a double. Nick Perez got the assignment as the designated hitter and went 2-for-4 with a double.
The Fords will next return to action on Friday, the penultimate day of the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic, playing a doubleheader against Baruch College starting at 9 a.m. The Fords then wrap up the Florida stint with a Saturday morning contest with North Park (Ill.) at 9 a.m.