HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College softball team celebrated Senior Day by sweeping a Centennial Conference doubleheader with visiting Franklin & Marshall College on Saturday afternoon at Class of '95 Field. The Fords clipped the Diplomats, 3-1, in the opener before capping the day with a 6-1 victory in Game 2.
Haverford (16-8, 5-3 CC) became the first team to take two from F&M (20-10, 6-4) in conference action this season.
Junior Jill Schnall continued to swing a hot bat as the conference's leading hitter (.464) blasted two home runs to left field in the opener.
Schnall's first homer of the game put the Fords on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Haverford then tacked on another run in the fourth courtesy of an RBI-single to right center by junior Lauren Touey that scored Dayle Comerford who was on with a single of her own.
After starting pitcher Sara Tauriello (5-1) sent the Diplomats down in order in the top of the fifth, Schnall extended the hosts' lead to three in resounding fashion as she nailed another ball over the fence in left.
Schnall, who is currently tied for the league lead in home runs with six, has hit more home runs this season than she had in her first two collegiate seasons combined (five).
F&M scratched out a run in the sixth to close within two but the Diplomats would get no closer as senior Brittany Stevenson came on to pitch the seventh and earn her league-leading fourth save of the season.
Schnall and Brody each went 2-for-3 in the contest as the Fords finished with six hits overall.
Junior Justine Lohrey (9-3) suffered the loss in the circle for F&M.
The Dips managed to get on the scoreboard first in Game 2 when Malorie Sassaman singled home Alicia Kukoda in the top of the first.
Haverford came close to responding in the bottom of the second but Touey was robbed on a diving stop by second baseman Sam Denoville.
The Fords flashed their own leather in the top of the third with a highlight-reel catch by center fielder Elizabeth Newman that denied F&M catcher Cailtlin Brust of extra bases.
When the Dips tried to tack on another run in the fourth, it was once again Newman who had the answer. The senior threw a strike to catcher Kristin Tatum to thwart Sassaman's attempt to score on Denovile's single up the middle.
Haverford kept battling and its persistence paid off in the fifth as the Fords tallied two runs on two hits. Junior Julie Garlick sparked the rally with a two-out single to right center that brought Touey around to score from second.
Sophomore Emily Winesett (6-2) limited F&M to just one hit in the top of the sixth and the Fords went on to break the game open in the bottom of the frame.
Tatum and Comerford started the inning off with back-to-back walks. Freshman Megan Ryan, on in relief of Kaitlin Zampino (5-6), managed to get two more outs but Haverford was not finished as it batted around on its way to a four-run inning. Touey highlighted the scoring outburst with a two-run double to left.
Senior Claire Fitzgerald finished off the sweep with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.
The Fords -- who celebrated seniors Fitzgerald, Newman, Stevenson and Jen DiCandilo on Saturday -- complete their non-conference slate on Tuesday with a short trip to Eastern University for a twinbill beginning at 3 p.m.