HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College softball team earned a 10-9 Game 1 victory over Franklin & Marshall College with a last-at-bat rally but the Diplomats struck back with their own last inning rally in a 6-3 victory over the Fords in Centennial Conference action Tuesday afternoon at Class of '95 Field.
After F&M (6-8, 2-6 CC) jumped ahead 6-0 in the first three innings of the opener Haverford (11-9, 5-3 CC) cut into the lead with a run in the bottom of the third then two more in the fifth.
The Diplomats stretched out their lead, though, with three runs in the top of the sixth that set the stage for Haverford's miracle comeback.
Trailing 9-3 Haverford got a base runner when lead-off batter Erin Delaney was hit by a pitch. Marina Zambrotta, Candice Smith and Beth Davis each followed with walks to notch the first run of the rally.
Cassandra Searls then reached safely on a fielder's choice while Zambrotta scored on a Diplomat miscue in the field. A passed ball brought another run in and moved the other runners to second and third.
An Alison Crawford ground out to short allowed Davis to score and Searls to move to third followed by a line-out to short by Laura Iwanyk.
Trailing by two runs and with Searls at third, Laina Gagliardi lashed a single to right-center field — the only Haverford hit of the inning — that pulled the Fords within one at 9-8. A walk to Gabrielle Sapienza added another base runner then Delaney took first on an error to load the bases again.
Zambrotta walked for the second time in the inning to force in Gagliardi to tie the score at 9-9 then Sapienza trotted home with the winning run on a wild pitch to complete the improbable comeback.
Starting Haverford pitcher Cassandra Searls gave way to Maggie Cronin in the third after allowing six runs, two unearned, in 2.1 innings in the circle. Cronin (2-0) surrendered three runs and was the pitcher of record after the top half of the sixth and as the beneficiary of the Fords' seven-run inning, earned the victory. Searls came back in to pitch the seventh and struck out Elana Jaret to end the marathon win.
F&M starter Liz Chudzik gave way to Sara Damato to begin the sixth inning but returned after Damato allowed four runs. Haverford scored their remaining runs off Chudzik (3-5) handing the starter the loss.
Game 2 had far fewer fireworks, at least for awhile.
Haverford broke out on top 2-0 in the bottom of the third keyed by a lead-off double from Delaney and a Zambrotta single. Zambrotta scored the second run of the inning crossing the plate on a wild pitch from F&M starter Karalynne Clark.
The Dips chipped away at Haverford starter Lisa Karmel with an unearned run in both the fourth and fifth innings, tying things up at 2-2.
The Fords sprung more magic in a sixth inning in the nightcap as Sapienza's lead-off walk turned into a run when Davis picked up a two-out RBI-single to left field.
This time, though, it was the Diplomats who would post the rally as they registered four consecutive base hits with one out to generate a pair of runs then added two more on a bases-loaded double by Jaret. Gina Marchisio was thrown out at the plate trying to score from first base on the hit for the third out of the inning.
The Fords got a lead-off hit from Crawford to open the bottom of the seventh, then picked up a one-out single from Gagliardi to bring the tying run to the plate but Clark picked up the final two outs to end the threat and earn the visitors a split.
Karmel (4-7) took the loss for the Fords and Clark (1-0) earned her first win of the season.
Crawford finished the day with three hits, scored once and added one RBI. Davis, Searls, Gagliardi, Delaney and Zambrotta ended with two hits for their day's work.
The Fords play at home again in their next outing, a non-conference doubleheader Thursday afternoon against The College of New Jersey. Game 1 is set to begin at 3 p.m.