HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College baseball team (10-9) were defeated by the visiting MIT Engineers (5-6) at home on Tuesday, falling by a 12-10 final. A late-game comeback attempt fell short after the Fords battled valiantly back from an eight-run deficit.
Daniel Rosman paced the Fords with three RBI Kyle Beach and Zack Becker each recorded multiple hits, finishing the game with two hits each.
It only takes one look at the box score to know that fans in attendance witnessed one of the more entertaining games of the season. Both teams combined for 18 hits and nine errors while also combining for an astounding 27 walks. The action started fairly normally at Kannerstein Field. Drew Doyle started on the mound for the Fords and pitched three innings while striking out two Engineers. The first-year pitcher put in a good shift on the bump, allowing three runs but zero earned.
MIT jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning after Doyle surrendered back-to-back singles. However, the run came in to score on an error. The Fords recovered quickly as Doyle forced two flyouts and struck out another to get out of the inning with limited damage.Haverford answered in the bottom of the frame thanks to a Jack Wallis single to left field to score Harry Genth, who walked earlier in the inning. The Fords then took the lead in the second inning off a Daniel Rosman single to left field, scoring Zach Becker.
The Engineers snatched the lead back with two runs in the third inning prompting a pitching change from the Fords after Doyle got out of the inning. Haverford got back to work in the bottom of the third inning, eventually scoring a run to even the score. Jonny Fleider kicked things off with a leadoff double and made it to third after Beach reached first on an error. Landry stepped up and laid down a bunt to score Flieder to tie the game at three.Sam Cohen took over pitching duties for the following three innings and the game started to get away from the Fords. The hosts allowed four runs in the next three innings, and the contest looked out of reach after MIT tacked on another four runs in the top of the seventh.
With an 11-3 lead that late in the game, it looked like a win for the visiting Engineers. However, Haverford planned on making them sweat it out.
Costly mistakes from MIT allowed the Fords right back into the contest. Three walks and a wild pitch later, the Fords had the bases loaded with one out. Cole Foster struggled with the command of his pitches and Haverford didn't even bother to swing the bat. Rosman walked with the bases loaded as Landry scored. Becker scored shortly after with Genth being walked. MIT totaled five walks in the inning and started to unfold, but still held onto an 11-5 lead.
It only got worse for the Engineers in the eighth inning. Beach led off the inning with a double and Landry then walked to put runners on first and second. Chuck Norton was hit by a pitch loading the bases with zero out. The Fords lost a little momentum after Becker and Zach Crampton each struck out, giving MIT two much-needed outs. Those outs didn't do much to impede the rest of the lineup in any way because Rosman and Genth were both walked with the bases loaded for the second time in as many innings, to score two more runs for Haverford.
With the bases still loaded, Flieder stepped up and hit the ball down the left-field line. The ball went right through the third baseman's legs to score a run. Two more runs were scored on the same play after an error from the shortstop. After Genth, Rosman, and Norton scored, the Fords only found themselves down one run heading into the final frame.
MIT needed to do something in the ninth inning now only clinging to an 11-10 lead. The visitors scored another run via a wild pitch but the Fords remained in striking distance heading into the bottom of the ninth.
For the third straight inning, the Fords loaded the bases. Beach led off the inning with another double. Landry then reached first after striking out and reaching via a dropped third strike. Jory Lee stepped in to pinch run for the senior and advanced to second after a perfectly placed bunt from Kendrick Curry II to move the runners into scoring position.
The Fords had runners on second and third with Becker up and one out. Becker eventually walked, loading the bases. However, two straight strikeouts from MIT's Ethan Siegel ended the game in agonizing fashion as he nailed down the first save of his season on 29 pitches. August Williams made his season debut in the eighth inning, twirling a scoreless frame with a strikeout.
Baseball will have no time to dwell on the loss, as the Fords head to Eastern for a Wednesday afternoon matchup tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.