Mules Kick Past Garnet
BOX SCORE
SWARTHMORE, Pa.- Muhlenberg's Eric Hammond had four hits and teammate Matt Tobia added three hits apiece leading the Mules to a 9-3 Centennial Conference victory over Swarthmore in the conference opener for both teams.
Garnet freshman shortstop Conor Casey was 3-for-4 while junior infielder Sam Faeder added a pair of hits and scored twice as Swarthmore dipped to 5-7 overall and 0-1 in the Centennial.
Muhlenberg (8-8 overall, 1-0 CC) scored a run in top of the first, but Swarthmore came back to take a 2-1 lead on sophomore catcher Andy Bender's two-run double to left in the bottom of the inning.
The Mules put a single run up in the second and the third, and then took advantage of three Garnet miscues in the fourth with four more runs to take a 7-2 lead. Mules third baseman Pete Oris delivered the big hit, stroking a two-out double to drive in sophomore Joe Carlo.
The Garnet tacked on their third run on sophomore Patrick Christmas' RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. It was the team-leading 14th RBI of the season for Christmas.
Junior lefty Jason Bonder (2-1) earned the win for Muhlenberg, tossing six innings while allowing two runs on seven hits, striking out three. Garnet sophomore Justin Chen (1-2) took the loss, allowing ten hits and three earned runs in five innings.
Four Garnet hitters collected a pair of hits: Faeder, Christmas, senior captain Scott Young, and sophomore center fielder Scott Dalane. Young also collected his 11th stolen base of the season, a team-high and second best in the Centennial.
Faeder's single to centerfield leading of the bottom of the first extended the junior's season hit streak to 12 games. Dating back to 2005, Faeder has registered a base hit in 14 straight contests.
Swarthmore completes the back end of a home-and-home with the Mules this Friday, March 31 in Allentown at 3:00 p.m. The Garnet will then welcome the 16th-ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays to Clothier Fields on Saturday, April 1 for a 12:30 p.m. twin bill.