GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. - The Haverford College softball team (8-6) swept Gwynedd Mercy (2-11) on Thursday afternoon at Frank O. Genuardi Legends Softball Field, scoring a combined 19 runs in a dominant performance.
Game 1: Haverford 13, Gwynedd Mercy 2
The Fords erupted offensively in the opener, with four players driving in two runs each and three recording three hits apiece. Kyle Morano had a standout game, going 3-for-3 with a run, two RBIs, and a double. Jocelyn Leal contributed two RBI doubles in the victory. In the circle, Lauren Lamme (4-0) tossed four scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out one.
Batting second in the lineup, Mia Kessinger sparked the offense with a triple to right-center field. She scored on the next at-bat when Kamaha'o Bode singled through the left side. Kyra Van Denburgh followed with a single and later stole second before Abby Litchfield singled home Bode to make it 2-0.
Van Denburgh was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice, but Litchfield scored on a passed ball. Grace Stowe advanced to third on a Maddie Etheridge single, and Morano followed with a two-run double to cap a five-run first inning.
Leal extended the lead in the third with an RBI double, scoring Sarah Fan.
Lamme continued to dominate, shutting down the Griffins before a seven-run fifth inning put the game out of reach. Etheridge and Morano singled to put runners on the corners, and Fan's RBI groundout made it 7-0. Leal then drove in Morano with another double.
Van Denburgh followed with a two-run single up the middle, extending the lead to 10-0. Litchfield reached on a single before Abby Olivier delivered a two-run single to right field. Etheridge capped the inning with an RBI single, pushing the advantage to 13-0.
Gwynedd Mercy broke through in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI triple from Ally McDaid and an RBI single from Hannah Smith, but it wasn't enough as Haverford secured a 13-2 victory via the eight-run rule.
Game 2: Haverford 6, Gwynedd Mercy 1
Rachel McQueen (4-2) earned the complete-game win in the nightcap, scattering four hits while allowing one earned run and two walks over seven innings. She struck out two. Five different Fords collected two hits, with Litchfield leading the charge with a double, a triple, and two runs batted in.
Gwynedd Mercy struck first in the second inning when Makayla Mihelcic launched a solo home run off McQueen for a 1-0 lead.
McQueen escaped trouble in the third, cutting down a runner at home, and followed with a 1-2-3 inning in the fourth.
Haverford finally broke through in the fifth when Kessinger's RBI single scored Fan to tie the game at 1-1. Van Denburgh doubled down the right-field line to move Kessinger to third, and Litchfield followed with a two-run double to put Haverford ahead 3-1. Litchfield later scored on an error, extending the lead to 4-1.
In the seventh, the Fords added insurance runs. Bode's sacrifice fly brought home Kessinger, and Litchfield tripled before scoring on an Etheridge RBI single to make it 6-1. McQueen retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh, sealing the sweep.
Haverford returns to Class of '95 Field on Tuesday, March 25, to face Penn State Brandywine in a doubleheader. First pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 3 p.m.