ASTON, Pa. – The Haverford College baseball team erupted for eight runs in an 8-2 takedown of Eastern at the Maplezone Sports Institute on Tuesday afternoon, including an offensive attack that featured four triples in the contest.
Nathan Vucovich (1-1) picked up the win as the starter for Haverford after tossing six solid innings, allowing just one earned run and striking out four. The Fords improved to 7-5 overall while Eastern falls to 3-6.
The Fords got on the board first with a first inning run against Eastern starter Ryan Kehr (1-2). Will Karp walked to begin the contest and promptly stole second base ahead of Ethan Lee-Tyson, who was hit by a pitch. With one out, Sam Partee singled to center field, advancing to second on the throw as Karp came into score for the first run of the contest.
The Fords added to their lead in the bottom of the third inning against new Eastern hurler Tommy Strazza. Spencer Sohmer tripled and came in to score on Ben Verducci's single to right field for a 2-0 Haverford lead.
Eastern tightened things up a bit in the bottom of the frame, as Freddy Yahn grounded into a double play ball that nonetheless plated Brady DiGiacomo. The Fords responded with a two-out rally in the bottom of the frame. The stanza started with a Lee-Tyson single. Sohmer tripled for the second straight at-bat, scoring Tyson to bring home a run. Partee then singled to left field, scoring Sohmer, giving Haverford a 4-1 advantage.
Josh Freed took over on the mound to start the fifth frame and was greeted by a one out triple from Thomas Vollaro, an RBI strike that scored Owen Plambeck. Will Karp sent a sacrifice fly to center field as Haverford broke the contest open a bit at 6-1, giving first year starter Vucovich breathing room on the mound.
Haverford scored two more against new Eagles pitcher Joe Clancy in the sixth. Partee walked and stole second and third base ahead of a Nick Perez RBI single to right center. After Perez stole second, Harrison Burns uncorked yet another triple, allowing Perez to cross home for an 8-1 lead.
Dylan Livingston took over on the mound in relief of Vucovich in the seventh and worked around a leadoff error in a scoreless frame. Patrick O'Shea pitched the ninth and final inning, allowing one Eastern run as the contest finished at 8-2 in favor of the Fords.
Perez, Burns, Partee and Sohmer each had multi-hit afternoons for Haverford. The Fords recorded four triples for the first time in program history. Haverford has once roped five triples, accomplishing the feat against Monmouth in March of 2006. Sohmer's pair of triples matched the program single-game high, last achieved in March of 2010 by Dean Laganosky against Denison College.
Haverford baseball is next in action on Saturday, taking on NYU in a doubleheader at MCU Park in Brooklyn, N.Y. The contests are slated to get underway at 12 p.m. Last season, Haverford split its doubleheader against NYU in the Big Apple, winning the first game, 5-2, in extra innings and then falling in the second game, 5-4.