Baseball Remains Hot, Bashes Washington College 13-4

CHESTERTOWN, Md. - Make it four in a row for the surging Swarthmore College baseball team, as the Garnet (16-8, 7-3) scored 12 unanswered runs after an early deficit to defeat homestanding Washington College 13-4 on Monday afternoon.

Three different players finished the day with three hits to lead the Garnet offensive assault. Junior Mike Cameron blasted a two-run home run in the sixth inning to break open a close game as part of his three-hit afternoon. Freshman Niko Burnett nearly tore the cover off the baseball, belting three doubles to drive home three runs. Last but not least, sophomore Rory McTear (pictured) finished the day with three hits and three RBI, including a double and stolen base.

Senior Neil Mejia (2-1) was superb on the hill, going the complete game with six strikeouts. Four of his six surrendered hits and all four of his earned runs came in second inning.

One day after a historic sweep of No. 24 Johns Hopkins, it looked as if the big wins and short rest was going to cause the Garnet to have a  "Hopkins hangover"  on the Eastern Shore, as the Shoremen jumped out to a 4-1 lead following a three-run home run from Dan Wilcox in the bottom of the second.

In the top of third, the Garnet offense went off, blasting Washington pitching for a five-run inning that would open the flood gates. RBI doubles from Burnett and sophomore Tim Kwilos led the attack that gave the Garnet a 6-4 lead.

The game remained 6-4 until the sixth inning when another big inning from the Swat offense put the game out of reach. Run-scoring hits from McTear and junior Mike Waterhouse plated the first two runs of the inning with the dagger coming from Cameron, who blasted a two-run homer over the left-field fence to make it a 10-4 game.

That was more than enough for Mejia, who cruised after the second inning, finishing off the Shoremen to preserve the 13-4 win.

One day after only recording one extra-base hit in the doubleheader against Johns Hopkins, the Garnet offense pounded out seven against Washington.

The 13-run outburst marks the ninth time Swarthmore has eclipsed 10 runs for the season.

Waterhouse finished the day with two hits, while Kwilos and junior Anthony Montalbano also hit safely.

Swarthmore's 1-through-5 hitters finished the game 12-of-23.

There's no rest for the Garnet, as Swat will play its fourth game in three days when it travels to Allentown to face Muhlenberg tomorrow. Play is set to begin at 3:30.