HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College softball team (8-8) dropped both games of a doubleheader against Penn State Brandywine (10-4) on Tuesday afternoon at Class of '95 Field. The opener was a tightly contested pitcher's duel before Brandywine exploded for a seven-run second inning in game two to secure the sweep in five innings.
Game 1: Penn State Brandywine 3, Haverford 1
A pair of early runs and a strong pitching performance from Brandywine's April Lewandowski proved to be the difference as the Fords struggled to generate offense.
Haverford plated its lone run in the third inning. After an error and a walk put runners on base, Mia Kessinger lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing pinch-runner Abby Olivier to score. However, that unearned run was all the Fords could muster against Lewandowski, who tossed a complete game, scattering five hits while striking out one over seven innings.
Penn State Brandywine struck first in the second inning when Madie Culbertson delivered a two-run single up the middle, scoring Naya Rivera and Jordan DuBois. Brandywine added an insurance run in the sixth after an error allowed Culbertson to reach base, and Anna Caporale brought her home with a groundout.
Haverford's best chance to rally came in the seventh. Addie Sapirstein led off with a single, and Grace Stowe followed with a double, putting the tying run in scoring position with no outs. But Brandywine's defense stepped up, turning a clutch lineout double play at third base. A screaming liner off the bat of Lauren Martin found the glove of Jordan DuBois, who quickly tagged out Sapirstein to erase the threat. A popout to second ended the game.
Lauren Lamme (4-1) took the loss for Haverford, allowing two earned runs on seven hits over five innings while striking out two. Clarissa Smith pitched two innings in relief, surrendering one unearned run on one hit.
Kamaha'o Bode led the Fords' offense with two hits, while Stowe, Sapirstein, and Abby Litchfield each added a hit.
Game 2: Penn State Brandywine 8, Haverford 0 (5 innings)
The Nittany Lions opened the scoring in the second inning when Rivera's RBI single brought home the game's first run. The inning spiraled from there, as the Lions capitalized on defensive miscues and timely hitting. Ava Craddock delivered a two-run single, and Shelby DeCillis followed with a two-run double. By the time the dust settled, Brandywine had plated seven runs—five of them unearned—on seven hits.
Haverford managed just three hits in the contest, with Jocelyn Leal, Sapirstein, and Sarah Fan each recording one. Leal doubled in the third for the Fords' only extra-base hit in game two. Fan reached base twice, adding a single in the fifth and stealing a base.
On the mound, Kaleigh Bodak (0-1) took the loss, allowing seven runs (only two earned) on seven hits in 1.2 innings. Relievers Rachel McQueen and Anna Stowe combined to allow just one additional run over the final 3.1 innings, but the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
Brandywine pitcher Isabella Hurta (4-2) was dominant, tossing a complete-game shutout while allowing just three hits and striking out four. She worked efficiently, throwing 91 pitches and stranding five Haverford runners.
The Fords now turn their attention to Saturday's Centennial Conference opener at Class of '95 Field. Game one against Dickinson is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch on March 29.