ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - The Haverford College Softball Team (6-11) dropped a pair of games to Eastern (16-3) in a non-conference doubleheader on the campus of Eastern University Tuesday afternoon.
Eastern 12, Haverford 3 (5 innings)
Sarah Fan continued her hot start to the 2024 season going 2-for-2 against Eastern in the first ballgame. The Scarlet and Black had three different players with one RBI each, as Jocelyn Leal, Grace Stowe, and Maddie Etheridge were all able to plate home a run.
The Eagles showcased their offensive prowess right out of the gates, as a Sydney Ostolaza double scored two, to give Eastern a quick 2-0 lead. Jania Long then knocked in Ostolaza later in the inning, to increase the hosts' lead to 3-0. After a Mackenzie Laub single pushed Long to third, a Kelci Cost two-run single gave the Eagles a commanding 5-0 lead headed into the second inning.
Eastern continued pouring on the runs in the second inning, putting up a three-spot on Rachel McQueen to take 8-0 lead into the third.
The Fords were able to pull a run back in the third, after Etheridge,Fan, and Addie Sapirstein loaded up the bases. With the bags juiced, Leal knocked in a run with a groundout to second base, as the Scarlet and Black trailed 8-1. The Eagles answered back with another run of their own in the bottom half of the inning, as the scoreboard flashed 9-1 with four innings to go.
With Lauren Martin on second base in the fourth inning, Stowe lined a ball up the middle to score Martin to bring the Fords within seven, 9-2. Following a Litchfield single that brought Martin to third base, Etheridge hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Martin, as Haverford began to chip away at the lead, trailing just 9-3.
After Alexa Finkele took over for McQueen, Eastern's bats continued to stay hot, as a two-run double from Maeve Colligan boosted the host's advantage to 11-3. The next at-bat saw another RBI from Cost, this time via the sac fly, as the Eagles tacked one more run onto the comfortable lead, 12-3.
Despite the Scarlet and Black putting runners on first and second in the top of the fifth, Hailey Kitchen Was able to shut the door on the Fords, as Eastern picked up the 12-3 victory after five innings via the run rule.
Eastern 6, Haverford 0
Mia Kessinger paced Haverford in the hitting department, recording three hits during the second contest. Jocelyn Leal added two knocks and Abby Litchfield totaled one during the game two clash with Eastern.
Both teams went scoreless to begin the second game of the doubleheader, before the Eagles struck first in the bottom of the second. A two-run blast from Jania Long gave the hosts a quick 2-0 lead, with Haverford looking to answer back.
Following another quiet frame offensively for the Scarlet and Black, Long proved to be the thorn in the Fords' side again, launching a three-run homer to left field to put Eastern up 5-0.
Holding a 5-0 advantage, Tori Hook was able to plate home Ainsley O'Donnell on an RBI-single in the bottom of the fourth, as the Eagles held a 6-0 lead with three innings remaining.
The Fords' offensive woes continued throughout the rest of the ballgame, as the Haverford bats went cold in the final three innings, dropping game two to Eastern, 6-0.
Long proved to be the hero in the batter's box and the pitcher's circle for the hosts, as the hurler tossed five shutout innings, striking out one, to earn her sixth victory of the season.
Next up is a quick turnaround for Haverford, as the Fords will welcome the Widener Pride to Class of '95 Field on Thursday, March 27 for a non-conference doubleheader. The first pitch of game one is slated for 3 p.m.