HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College baseball team (15-14, 6-4 CC) registered a split with Gettysburg (15-15, 6-4 CC) in Centennial Conference doubleheader action at Kannerstein Field Saturday. The Fords had the bats clicking to support another fantastic start from reigning CC Pitcher of the Week Mike Rabayda in game one, taking a 10-4 victory, before seeing a late rally fall short in game two in a 10-7 loss in the nightcap.
In that game one start, Rabayda was simply fantastic as he picked up the win while demonstrating his swing-and-miss prowess from the first pitch. Consistently missing bats and keeping the Bullets at bay for six innings, Rabayda logged 13 strikeouts against just two walks while scattering five hits and one earned run. Josh Fuller picked up the save, his third of the season, with his three innings in relief.
After Rabayda struck out the side in the top of the second, the Haverford offense went to work in support of Rabayda with three runs in the bottom of the second. Zach Landry walked to begin the inning and Kyle Beach singled ahead of a two-RBI double from Zach Buck. Daniel Rosman and Harry Genth then punched back-to-back singles as Haverford suddenly found itself with a 3-0 lead in support of its ace.
Gettysburg got a run back in the top of the third, but Landry again got on base to begin the third, reaching on an infield single ahead of another single from Beach. Buck then recorded his third RBI of the game with a single through the left side, and Rosman drilled a one-out double to left, plating Buck and Beach. Genth followed with a double of his own as the Haverford lineup showcased its depth for the second straight inning with a newly minted 7-1 lead.
The Fords added insurance in the seventh, with Rosman delivering a sacrifice fly and Genth roping his second double of the afternoon. Beach again got in on the action with his two-out single in the eighth for Haverford's 10th and final run. Beach had a fantastic turn at DH, logging a four-hit day as Buck also tallied four hits and Genth was a force at the top of the order with three hits and three RBI. Rosman helped fortify the bottom of the order with his two-hit, three-RBI performance.
Rabayda now has 67 strikeouts on the season, good for second in the CC. In his last three starts, Rabayda has surrendered nine hits and three earned runs while striking out 31 in 17 innings. In game two, Gettysburg got out to an early 7-0 lead against Martin Matsumura, who suffered from some tough luck as the Bullets second inning rally included a pair of hit batters and a single to right field to plate a pair off the bat of JR McCloskey. An error and two infield singles loaded the bases in the fourth, as four consecutive Gettysburg plate appearances then resulted in an RBI, with Matt Muir and Tristan Neels doing the damage for a 7-0 advantage.
Neels added a double to right center in the sixth to plate one, and Preston Toothman tripled and scored on a wild pitch as the visitors went ahead 10-0. Haverford rallied from that point, grabbing three in the seventh. Buck continued his electric day at the dish with a double and Rosman then singled through the right side to plate a pair.
The Fords then put a major scare into the Bullets in the ninth. Jack Wallis singled to begin things, and Rosman then walked ahead of a single from Genth that loaded the bases for Runfola. Runfola made the most of the moment, delivering an RBI single to score Wallis as pinch-runner Jonny Flieder came home to score on an error. Two consecutive RBI groundouts off the bats of Luke Smith and Becker then put the Fords within three at 10-7 before Nate Masteralexis was able to shut the door to preserve the win for the Bullets, squelching the Haverford comeback just short of its fruition.
Matsumura struck out four in his five innings of work, with Riley Grohowski, Eric Kopczynski, and August Williams logging four innings in relief. Williams struck out the side in a scoreless ninth inning.
Despite the loss, Runfola tallied a four-hit day with three RBI as Wallis and Rosman each supported the comeback effort with two-hit days. Teo Torrado was solid for the visitors, allowing three earned runs while striking out four and scattering seven hits over his 6. 1 innings of work.
The Fords, firmly in the thick of the CC playoff chase, now return to Centennial Conference action on Tuesday, hosting Muhlenberg at 3:30 p.m. to begin a home-and-home series with the Mules.