WESTMINSTER, Md. – The Haverford College softball team staved off elimination early with a 2-1 victory over Muhlenberg in its first game on Saturday at the Centennial Conference Tournament. However, the Fords saw their season come to a close with their second loss of the tournament to Gettysburg with the Bullets earning a spot in the tomorrow's Centennial Conference Championship.
Playing in its first elimination game of the day, Haverford struck early for the first inning lead. Playing as the visiting team against the Mules, Haverford got a solo home run from Dayle Comerford with two outs in the top of the first inning.
Haverford sent Emily Winesett to the circle in Saturday's first game. She stranded a hit in each of the first three scoreless innings that she pitched. Muhlenberg got its only run of the early game when a hit by pitch with the bases loaded forced in a run. Muhlenberg loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a walk. Sara Tauriello came on to get the final two outs of the inning and would do so with a line out to short and a batted ball that hit the runner on first, keeping the score tied at one as she stranded all three inherited runners.
The Fords retook the lead in their next at-bat in the top of the fifth. Kristin Tatum got the inning started when she reached on a strikeout wild pitch before an infield single from Lauren Touey put runners on first and second. A groundout forced out Touey at second and put runners on the corners, but an RBI groundout from Sarah Brody gave Haverford the lead for good.
Muhlenberg put a pair of runners on in both the sixth and seventh innings. However, both times Tauriello and the Fords' defense left the Mules stranded on the base paths. The final outs of the first elimination came when Comerford snagged a line drive and stepped on first base for the unassisted double play to secure the victory. Tauriello earned the win in the circle as she finished the final 3.2 innings of the game. She did not allow a run during that time after Winesett pitched the first 3.1 innings and allowed just the one earned run.
Playing its second elimination game to close the second day of the tournament, the Fords seemingly found themselves in a hole they could never fully escape from. Gettysburg got on the scoreboard first with a leadoff double that came around to score after two groundouts to first. The Fords were able to answer the early run with an RBI double from Touey in the top of the third to score Tatum.
However, the Bullets came right back with three runs in the bottom of that frame to take a 4-1 lead. They would also add a two-out run in the fourth. Haverford cut the deficit back to a single run with a three-run home run from Kendall Chambers in top of the fifth. Chambers' first home run of the season scored Tatum and Jill Schnall. Tatum was hit by pitch, while Schnall reached on a fielder's choice.
Once again, it was Gettysburg that extended its lead with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. During both innings that Haverford tallied in the second game, the Bullets came back with three runs in the bottom of those frames. Those last three runs provided the final insurance in Gettysburg's 8-4 victory.
With the loss, Haverford ends it season at 25-10-1. That win total ranks as the fourth most in a single season in program history. The game also marked the final contest for the seven members of the senior class (Julie Garlick, Brianna Lowey, Stephanie Wolfson, Touey, Comerford, Brody, and Schnall). Those seven seniors graduate as the all-time winningest class in program history with a combined record of 97-52-2, a .649 winning percentage. The class became the first to play in three straight Centennial Conference Tournaments. That core played in two conference championships, winning the title during the 2014 season.