HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College softball team split its final Centennial Conference outing of the season with visiting Swarthmore College Saturday afternoon taking the opener by a 1-0 score but falling in the nightcap, 12-4, to the Garnet.
Haverford (15-17, 7-9 CC) scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the first in Game 1 as Laura Iwanyk belted a double to center field that scored Candice Smith who had led the inning off with a walk.
Iwanyk's hit was one of just three surrendered by Swarthmore (19-21, 10-6 CC) ace Kathryn Riley (12-10) who took the loss after striking out 11 and walking four.
Haverford starter Cassandra Searls (7-4), throwing her final game at Class of '95 Field, kept pace with Riley also allowing just three hits and four walks. The senior fanned four and didn't allow a Garnet base runner to reach third base in earning the victory.
Game 2 saw more fireworks than the opener as the teams combined for 23 hits in the Swarthmore victory.
The Fords came back from a 1-0 deficit after the top of the second with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Smith's two-out double down the left line plated Alison Crawford and Erin Delaney giving Haverford the lead.
Swarthmore wrested the lead back with a pair of runs in the top of the third then added four more, with three of the runs unearned, in the fourth to extend its lead to 7-2.
That was it for Haverford starter Maggie Cronin who gave way to Lauren Gill to start the fifth inning, but Gill didn't fare much better as the Garnet added to their lead with four more runs off the reliever.
Delaney and Smith added RBI singles in the bottom of the sixth but the Fords weren't able to finish the rally leaving the bases loaded then going down in order in the seventh.
Searls, Crawford and Smith—who finished the game with three RBI—each had two hits apiece in the loss.
Cronin (4-5) took the loss while Riley (13-10) bounced back from the opener to earn the win.
Saturday's games were the final home appearances for Searls and Charlotte Mezoff who will graduate this spring with a four-year conference record of 39-25 and will carry an overall record of 82-59 into their final date of competition.
The seniors and the Fords will conclude their 2010 campaign Tuesday afternoon with a trip to Arcadia University for a doubleheader that is set for a 3 p.m. start.