Rodriguez' Gem Highlights Baseball's Split With Gettysburg

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Usually renowned for a potent offense more than a super-stingy pitching staff, the Swarthmore College baseball team's hurlers looked like a league of aces for thirteen innings on Saturday before luck ran out, giving the Garnet (12-7, 3-2) a doubleheader split with the Gettysburg Bullets at Clothier Field, by scores of 2-1 (W) and 9-1 (L).

The Swarthmore bats were held silent throughout the day, but that hardly mattered in Game 1, due to a highly effective performance by junior Ignacio Rodriguez.  Although not overpowering, Rodriguez (3-1) pitched six shutout innings, scattering three hits to earn the victory.  His three wins are tied for the team lead. But even with Rodriguez' sterling outing, the Garnet needed a little bit of luck in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the win.

Just three outs away from a complete-game shutout, Rodriguez began to come apart at the mound. After allowing a single to begin the inning, he threw a double-play ball into centerfield and sailed a throw over first base on a bunt, allowing a run to score and putting runners on the corners with nobody out.

Sophomore closer Ramsey Walker came in to put out the fire, getting a strikeout and a pop-fly to right to put the Garnet within one out of the victory.  After hitting a batter, Walker allowed a shot up the middle that looked destined for centerfield; however, on its way out, it hit the Gettysburg runner on first base, strangely recording the final out of the game.

Gettysburg starter Matt Karis nearly match Rodriguez pitch-for-pitch, as Garnet held just a 1-0 lead through the first five and a half innings.  Junior catcher Mike Waterhouse's first-inning RBI double gave Swarthmore an early advantage, but the offense could muster little else until the sixth, when junior first baseman Mike Cameron doubled in freshman designated hitter Nicko Burnett to increase the lead to two.

In Game 2, senior starter Neil Mejia was lights-out for the first six innings of the nine-inning game, allowing just three hits and no runs – however, clinging to a 1-0 lead with two outs in the seventh, the wheels fell off and the Bullets scored six times, highlighted by a three-run triple by Gettysburg's Nate Simon off of Walker, who came on in relief of Mejia.

The Bullets would add three runs in the ninth, taking the second game 9-1.

Swarthmore travels to Haverford on Sunday to face the rival Fords for the second time this week.  First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m.