Garnet Turn Collegeville Into Splitsville
Christina Procacci '06 drove in two runs on two hits and Marianne Klingaman '07 struck out five Bears as Swarthmore defeated Ursinus 5-2 in the second game, earning a split of a Centennial Conference doubleheader Tuesday afternoon in Collegeville, Pa.
The victory ended a streak of 26 consecutive Ursinus wins over Swarthmore, dating all the way back to 1992. The previous Garnet victory over the Bears was a 5-4 decision in game one of a doubleheader.
Ursinus grabbed a 2-0 lead after three innings before Swarthmore scratched out a run in the top of the fourth. Procacci led off the frame with a walk, her Centennial-leading 24th base on balls. Conference Player of the Week Mary Mintel '05 popped out before shortstop Katie Gold '08 sacrificed Procacci to third. Klingaman was up next and helped her own cause by driving in Procacci with an RBI single, making the score 2-1 Bears.
The Swarthmore offense broke out in the top of the fifth as three hits and two Ursinus errors led to three Garnet runs and a 4-2 Swarthmore lead. Val Marone '05 led off the inning with a double, Kelly Siano '07 followed with a single to left, and Sam Brody '05 loaded the bags up, reaching on an Ursinus error. Danielle Miller '06 was called out on a pop-up in the infield, but Procacci kept the rally alive, driving in Marone with a single up the middle. Mintel followed with a ground ball to short, but Ursinus was unable to record an out, allowing two more Swarthmore runs to cross the plate.
Klingaman stranded three Ursinus base runners in the last three frames, and Swarthmore added an insurance run in the seventh to give their sophomore right-hander a 5-2 lead. Ursinus got a hit in the bottom of the seventh, but Klingaman fanned Jessica Cherry and Erin McHugh to earn her second consecutive win.
Procacci reached base three times for the Garnet (7-15, 1-1 CC), increasing her on-base percentage to .549, third best in the Conference. Siano, Marone, Klingaman, and Gold all had base hits for Swarthmore.
Klingaman (3-5) scattered six hits over seven innings, allowing one earned run while walking only one. The six strikouts give Klingaman a total of 26 on the year, tying teammate Amy DiBiase '08 for fourth-best in the Centennial.
The Bears won game one 9-0 in five innings behind a three-hitter from pitcher Mallory Greene. Brody, Gold, and Marone had hits as Emily Walz (2-2) took the loss for the Garnet.
The Garnet continue their Centennial Conference schedule on Saturday, April 9th when they host Dickinson College in a 1:00 p.m. double header.