March 27, 2012
Heavy Hitting Propels Baseball to Trumping of Rival Haverford, 12-4
HAVERFORD, Pa. - Just one day after putting up a season-high 20 runs, the Swarthmore baseball team (15-4, 1-0 CC) opened the Centennial Conference schedule with a bang, rolling over the rival Haverford Fords (7-11, 0-1 CC) by a 12-4 score on Tuesday afternoon.
The Garnet was paced by a 2-for-5 day from senior third baseman Mike Waterhouse, including a 2-run home run, and a 3-hit performance from freshman shortstop Danny McMahon. Sophomore left fielder Nicko Burnett, junior centerfielder Rory McTear, and junior right fielder Tim Kwilos collected two hits apiece. Eight of Swarthmore's starting nine recorded at least one hit.
After falling behind 1-0 early in the game, Waterhouse got the Garnet on the board in the second with his second home run of the season. Swarthmore blew the game open in the third, scoring six times to take an 8-1 lead. Burnett got the ball rolling with a one-out double, scoring on a single by McTear. A walk and an error plated the Garnet's fourth run. A sac fly, a 2-run single by McMahon, and an RBI double from senior first baseman Spencer Ross capped the rally.
Swarthmore tacked on a run in the fourth on a single from senior catcher Miles Santo, and fifth-inning RBIs from McTear, Burnett, and Waterhouse brought the Garnet total to 12.
Senior starter Ignacio Rodriguez threw six innings for the win, battling shaky command to keep the Fords at bay. Senior Zach Weiner threw a scoreless relief inning, and junior Sean Mangus threw two hitless frames to seal the win.
The Garnet will rematch with Haverford on Friday at Clothier Field, looking to sweep the first Centennial set of the season. First pitch is set for 3:30 pm.
