Softball: Garnet Seek Gold, Advance to Day Two at Championships
HAVERFORD, Pa. - Sophomore Katie Gold had five hits and drove in four while classmate Dhalia Perez added four hits as Swarthmore split a pair of Centennial playoff games on the opening day of competition at the 2006 Centennial Conference Softball Championships hosted by Haverford College on Saturday afternoon.
The Garnet (23-16) fell to defending champion Ursinus 7-3 in the first game but came back in the afternoon to defeat McDaniel 8-4. The Centennial Championships are a double-elimination tournament so the Garnet will face Ursinus, victims of Haverford 8-0 on Saturday afternoon, at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 7 at Haverford. Click here for all the Championships scores and box scores.
In the morning game, the Bears jumped on Swarthmore starter Marianne Klingaman in the first inning, taking a 1-0 lead as Ursinus' junior Mary Reid laced a two-out single up the middle to drive home freshman Jennie Moore.
Swarthmore evened the score in the top of the third; freshman Lauren Walker cracked a one out single to center and stole second base one out later. Garnet freshman Christine Sendelsky smoked a 3-2 pitch from Bears' starter Mallory Greene down the left field line for an RBI double. The next batter, sophomore Katie Gold, beat out a slow dribbler to third base and Sendelsky wheeled home to give Swarthmore a 2-1 lead.
Ursinus took the lead back in the bottom of the inning as Ellie Knise walked and Moore bunted her way on. A sac bunt by Jessica Cherry moved up the runners and Knise came in to score on a wild pitch. Reid lofted a deep double over Walker's head in center field, plating Moore with her second hit of the afternoon, giving the Bears a 3-2 lead.
The Bears put the game out of reach with four more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Moore reached base with one out with an infield hit, Cherry was hit by a pitch, and the moved to third when Garnet left fielder Kristen Caspar '09 couldn't come up with Marci Logan's fly to left center. Swarthmore went to the bullpen and brought in reliever Emily Walz '08, who walked in a run to make it 4-2. Ursinus third basemen Sarah Hennessy, the next batter up, hooked a line drive to right field that spun away from Swarthmore's Danielle Miller, allowing two runs to score. Miller's throw back to the infield went wayward and Reid advanced home to bring the score to 7-2 Bears.
Swarthmore got a run back in the top of the seventh when Sendelsky reached on a fielder's choice, moved to third on a double by Gold, and scored on a Dhalia Perez '08 RBI single to left. Greene induced Klingaman to pop out for the final out to send the Bears into the winner's bracket.
Greene (13-6) tossed all seven innings, allowing three runs on 11 hits while striking out six.
Klingaman (7-5) suffered the loss, throwing 4.1 innings, giving up six runs (five earned) with one strikeout.
Perez tied her season high with three hits with an RBI while Miller, Sendelsky, and Gold had two hits apiece.
The second game pitted McDaniel, defeated 7-1 by top-seed Haverford, and the Garnet in the first elimination game. The two teams split a doubleheader at McDaniel on April 30.
The Green Terror put up the first run of the game in the first inning when sophomore Emily Trainor singled and scored on senior Megan Mitchell's double to right centerfield.
Swarthmore evened the score 1-1 in the bottom of the frame as Gold singled, moved to second on Siano's sacrifice bunt, and scored on junior Melissa LaVan's single to left field.
The Garnet took a 3-1 lead with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Procacci led off with the inning with a walk and was moved over by Walker's sacrifice bunt. Miller then doubled down the left field line, driving in Procacci. Sendelsky then sent a drive to deep centerfield and Miller tagged up and headed to third base. The centerfielder's throw sailed into the dugout, allowing Miller to come home for the 3-1 Garnet lead.
Swarthmore tacked on a fourth run in the bottom of the fourth when Caspar's fly ball to left got away from the McDaniel left fielder, allowing Perez to come home to score, with Caspar ending up on third.
The vaunted Garnet offense got rolling in the fifth; Walker led off with a triple down the left field line and Miller followed with a walk. The Green Terror went to the bullpen and brought in reliever Mary Abrams. Abrams immediately drilled Sendelsky in the leg to load the bases. Gold made McDaniel pay, crushing a three-run triple to right-center to put Swarthmore ahead 7-1. Junior Kelly Siano hit a grounder to the right side, driving Gold in to make the score 8-1.
The Green Terror answered with three runs of their own in the top of the sixth, putting together three hits (all with two outs) to cut the lead to 8-4. Zelaski got Abrams to fly out to end the threat. In the seventh, Zelaski retired McDaniel in order to clinch the victory and keep Swarthmore's championship hopes alive.
Gold was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored while Miller added two runs, a hit, and drove in a run.
Zelaski (11-5) picked up the win by spreading nine hits and four runs over seven innings, striking out two batters.
Procacci drew two walks on the day, increasing her career total to 103 to take over sole possession of third-highest total in Division III history. The record is 106 held by Mariann Shumbo from East. Connecticut St. and Brenda Bowers from Ohio Northern.