CLERMONT, Fla. - The Haverford College softball team (0-2) began their 2024 campaign in Clermont, Florida for The Spring Games showcase held at the Legends Way Ballfields complex on Sunday afternoon. The Fords finished the day with a pair of defeats to Massachusetts schools, falling to Springfield in game one in a close 4-3 final before Suffolk got the best of the Fords by a 13-5 final in the nightcap.
Game 1: Springfield 4-3 Haverford
After a quiet first inning between Haverford and Springfield that saw pitchers Rachel McQueen and Ashley Pugliese escape the inning unscathed, the Pride struck first, Emily Whelan scored on a sacrifice bunt from Alli Olsen to go up 1-0 in the second inning.
Springfield then extended its lead in the bottom of the third, after catcher Callie Gendron ripped an RBI double to center field, scoring Amelia DeRosa to take a 2-0 lead.
The Scarlet and Black had an answer for the Pride in the bottom of the fourth, as Lauren Martin got on base after an error from the third baseman. Following a Grace Stowe single that propelled Martin to second base, an RBI single from Abby Litchfield got Martin home to trim the Springfield lead down to 2-1.
The Fords were not done in the bottom of the fourth inning, as a Jocelyn Leal RBI single and an Addie Sapirstein RBI double gave Haverford their first lead of the contest 3-2. Now trailing by one, the Pride quickly leveled the game in the top of the fifth, as Carissa Pecchia singled home Ava Rainone to tie the game 3-3.
After the RBI single, a walk and another single had the bases juiced for Lucy Puskas, who pinch-hit for Whelan. A costly walk issued by McQueen forced the runner home, as the Pride took a 4-3 lead.
Despite the Fords getting runners on base via two walks in the bottom of the fifth, three strikeouts from Emily Gell shut down any Haverford comeback intentions.
Following a scoreless top of the sixth from Springfield, Gell then shut down the Scarlet and Black 1-2-3 in both the bottom of the sixth and seventh, to earn the win in an extremely narrow battle.
Game 2: Suffolk 13-5 Haverford
In a high-scoring affair, the Fords got off to a hot start, as in the first at-bat of the game Jocelyn Leal smoked a double to left field. Mia Kessinger was able to push Leal over to third, as the senior reached first base on a fielder's choice. First-year right fielder Lauren Martin roped a single to right field, scoring Leal and Kessinger to give the Scarlet and Black a quick 2-0 lead.
Martin then came all the way home off a single from Kyra Van Denburgh to extend the lead to 3-0, before a Maddie Etheridge single scored Van Denburgh to send the Fords into the bottom of the first with a 4-0 lead.
After holding the Rams scoreless in the first inning, Kayleigh Bodak ran into some trouble in the second inning after giving up back-to-back singles. Ella Turnbull of Suffolk crossed the plate after an error in the outfield to trim the lead down to 4-1. A two-run double followed by a one-run triple leveled the game at four, with the Scarlet and Black still searching for outs to get out of the inning. Two more RBI singles from the Rams gave Suffolk their first lead of the ballgame, 6-4, to head into the third inning.
After getting out of a tight jam in the top of the third, the Rams added on another run in the bottom half of the inning, after another mishap in the outfield to go up 7-4. With runners on first and second, a Maddie Southers three-run blast ended the evening for Bodak, as Suffolk took a commanding 10-4 lead into the fourth-inning.
Following a quiet fourth inning for both teams, the Scarlet and Black showed some life, after Addie Sapirstein singled, then stole second base. Kessinger was able to knock Sapirstein in off an RBI single to left field to trim the Rams lead down to 10-5. Lily Newhall was able to escape the fifth inning with minimal damage, as Suffolk headed into the bottom half of the fifth holding onto a 10-5 lead.
With Anna Stowe now standing in the pitcher's circle for Haverford, the sophomore was able to collect two quick outs with a double play. However, after issuing two consecutive walks, a one-run double increased the Ram's lead to 11-5. Following another walk, Southers reached first base on an error in the infield, scoring Becky Zellin to give Suffolk a 13-5 win in five innings via the mercy rule.
Softball will continue The Spring Games showcase on Monday morning, when they challenge the University of New England at 9:15 a.m. and Beloit at 11:30 a.m. at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex in Kissimmee, Florida.