HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College baseball team (11-11, 4-2 CC) posted a third straight conference home win, using big innings in the sixth and seventh to jet past visiting Muhlenberg (12-12, 2-4 CC) on Monday afternoon at Kannerstein Field. Junior Dylan Livingston (1-0) got the start for the Fords, and was stellar in his six plus innings on the hill. Livingston surrendered just four hits and one earned run, striking out six Mules while allowing two walks. Muhlenberg starter RJ Hennessey (1-5), largely matched Livingston's effort after he allowed a first inning run, at one point retiring 12 straight Haverford hitters, but the Fords bats came alive in the final third of the contest to wrestle control of the result.
Junior Will Karp walked to lead off the contest and stole second. After Karp advanced to third on a wild pitch, junior uke Wallis drilled a single through the left side of the infield, plating Karp and extending his reached base streak to 22 straight contests to begin the season. The two starters swapped scoreless frames until the sixth inning when Livingston allowed a two-out homer to Matt Riebesell. Riebesell got a hold of one that carried in the warm weather, tying the score at 1-1 with the jolt.
The Fords immediately went back to work in support of Livingston in their half of the sixth. Senior Nick Perez and Karp knocked consecutive singles before a well-placed sacrifice bunt off the bat of senior Ethan Lee-Tyson. Junior Harrison Burns then remained hot with a jarring single up the middle, scoring Karp and Perez and handing the Fords a 3-1 advantage. Junior Brandon Jenkins inherited a one-on, no-out situation in the top of the seventh, and worked out of the jam, allowing just a single up the middle on a ball that hit the mound and a sacrifice bunt before inducing a strikeout and a groundout to retire the side.
The Fords later opened the floodgates against reliever Paul Poppert, with first-year Ryan Schwartz, Perez, and Karp singling to load the bases to open the bottom of the seventh. Lee-Tyson launched a one-out single into left field, plating a pair of Fords. Isaac Spiegel took over for Poppert on the mound, but Haverford kept the line moving as Burns doubled home Karp and Lee-Tyson. Lee-Tyson's run scored represented the senior's 145th career run scored, passing Charlie Carluccio '11 for the program's all-time career record. Lee-Tyson is also now within four hits of matching Carluccio for the program's all-time hits record.
Jenkins went back out to the hill and recorded a perfect eighth inning. Spiegel matched the effort, allowing the Fords to head to the ninth with a six-run cushion. John Avallone began the inning with a single, but Jenkins induced a double play grounder off the bat of Jon Capra. Brenden Weiss coaxed a walk and Seth Wasserman singled as Muhlenberg took one last gasp, but Jenkins got Robert Cappadona to fly out left field, sending Haverford to a conference sweep.
Jenkins was credited with his first career save after tossing three scoreless innings, striking out three while allowing three hits, and one walk. Burns established a new career best with his four runs batted in while Karp and Perez joined the junior with multi-hit contests. Karp scored three runs to lead all comers.
The Fords now face a quick turnaround, battling Ursinus (12-10, 3-3 CC) at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Kannerstein Field. The contest is the first of a home-and-home series that will see Haverford make the quick jaunt to Collegeville on Friday afternoon.