FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Haverford College baseball team (7-3) continued its torrid offensive stretch at the Gene Cusic Classic, dismantling Hiram (3-5) in an 18-1 rout at Terry Park on Friday. The victory marked the Fords' sixth consecutive game with double-digit runs, cementing their dominance at the plate to begin the season.
Haverford's lineup overwhelmed Hiram pitching from the outset, with the top five hitters in the order delivering multi-hit performances. Jack Wallis led the charge, going 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three RBI, while Harry Genth continued his scorching form in Southwest Florida, adding two hits and four RBI. Matt Dahl stayed red-hot with a three-hit game, and Anthony Runfola also chipped in three hits and three RBI.
Riley Grohowski turned in another strong outing, allowing just one earned run on six hits across six innings while striking out four. The bullpen was lights-out, as Ethan Goldstein fanned all four batters he faced in relief, including the rare immaculate inning in the seventh, retiring the side on nine pitches, while Colin Lewandowski, Jack Greff, and Jory Lee each made their season debuts to close out the contest.
The Fords wasted no time jumping on Hiram starter Nicolas Chernitsky, striking for three runs in the first inning. Daniel Rosman singled, and Runfola doubled to drive in the opening run. Wallis then plated Runfola with a single before Dahl added another base hit. Kendrick Curry II capped off the early rally with an RBI groundout, giving Haverford a quick 3-0 lead in support Grohowski.
After Grohowski worked a clean second inning, Genth tacked on an RBI double to push the advantage to 4-0. Though Hiram managed to scratch across a run in the third, Haverford responded with a five-run explosion, breaking the game wide open.
Wallis walked, and Dahl singled ahead of Curry's two-run double into right field. With two outs, Luke Treese singled and swiped second before Miles Prusek drew a walk. Rosman worked a bases-loaded free pass to bring in another run, setting the stage for Runfola, who laced a two-run single to left, extending the Fords' lead to 9-1.
Grohowski kept Hiram in check, escaping a jam in the fourth before cruising through the fifth and sixth innings. Meanwhile, Haverford's bats refused to slow down. In the bottom of the sixth, Rosman singled and stole second before Genth walked. Runfola was hit by a pitch to load the bases, setting up Wallis, who ripped a bases-clearing double. Dahl followed with an RBI single, and Treese added another run-scoring hit before Genth capped the rally with a two-run single, ballooning the lead to 17-1.
The Fords tacked on their final run in the seventh when Chuck Norton knocked a single into right field, pushing the total to 18 runs, notching their highest output of the season.
Haverford wraps up its Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic slate on Saturday morning (9 a.m.), facing Dean College before returning home to the Philadelphia area.