Offense Powers Baseball to Sweep of Bethany Lutheran, 13-4 and 6-5
| Game 2 | ||||||||||
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swarthmore (6-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 1 |
| Bethany Lutheran (3-3) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| @ Tucson, Ariz. | Keno Sports Complex | ||||||||||
| Pitching |
|---|
| Win: Grant Johnson (1-0) - Swarthmore |
| Loss: Fisher, Travis (0-2) - Bethany Lutheran |
| Swarthmore Batting |
|---|
| 2B: none |
| 3B: Tim Kwilos |
| HR: none |
| Bethany Lutheran Batting |
|---|
| 2B: Geiger, Adam |
| 3B: none |
| HR: Siefken, Aaron |
TUCSON, Ariz. - After combining for 26 runs in Saturday's doubleheader, the Swarthmore College baseball team (6-2) did not let up on Sunday, sweeping its second spring break doubleheader in a row by scores of 6-5 and 13-4 over the Bethany Lutheran Vikings.
The first game appeared to be a cakewalk in the early innings for the Garnet, as Swarthmore opened the scoring with five runs off of Bethany Lutheran's ace in the third inning. Junior centerfielder Rory McTear led off with a single, and, after sophomore shortstop Nick Constantino doubled him to third, freshman third baseman Danny McMahon plated them both with a single. Senior second baseman Anthony Montalbano singled him to third base, sophomore left fielder Nicko Burnett knocked in a run on a sac fly, and senior catcher Mike Waterhouse tripled home another run. Junior right fielder Tim Kwilos scored Waterhouse with a single, increasing the Garnet advantage to 5-0.
The Vikings quickly answered with two runs in the fourth, and tacked on runs in the fifth and sixth to close the gap to 5-4. Swarthmore added an insurance run on a Waterhouse sac fly in the bottom of the sixth, and the insurance would prove necessary as Bethany Lutheran grabbed a run in the seventh off of junior closer Ramsey Walker, but the tying run was stranded on third base as the Garnet held on for the 6-5 win.
Senior starter Kyle Crawford threw five innings of three-run ball to earn the win.
Game 2 proved to be another nailbiter through the first six innings, as the Vikings jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead off of sophomore starter Grant Johnson. Johnson allowed a single, double, and a homer before gritting through four scoreless frames, ending his day by getting a bases-loaded strikeout in the fifth. Senior Adam Hardy and freshman Dylan Jeffers each threw a scoreless inning in relief.
The Garnet bats began chipping away at the deficit in the fourth, when Constantino was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate the first Swarthmore run of the game. In the fifth, Kwilos drove home three more with a bases-clearing triple, knotting the game at 4-4. Kwilos led the team with five RBIs over the course of the day.
The offense really came alive in the top of the seventh, as Swarthmore broke the game open with nine runs to secure the sweep. Senior first baseman Spencer Ross led off with a single, and an intentional walk and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out. Singles by McMahon and Montalbano brought home all three runners to put the Garnet up 7-4. Burnett's single loaded the bases before two walks and a hit by pitch forced in three more. RBI singles from senior designated hitter Michael Cameron and freshman catcher Joe Rizzo capped the scoring at 13. The spring break swing continues on Thursday as the Garnet will play a split doubleheader against St. John's Minnesota and Presentation College. First pitch is set for 2:00 pm.
