Vassar Outlasts Garnet in 11 Innings
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Vassar scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning as the Brewers defeated Swarthmore 3-2 Sunday afternoon in the season opener for both squads at Clothier Fields.
The second game in the double-header was not played due to the impending darkness.
Swarthmore senior catcher Ben Mendelson (Sabbatus, Maine / Lewiston) led the team with two hits while playing a key role behind the plate.
Garnet pitcher Neil Mejia ’11 (Oak Park, Ill. / Oak Park River Forest) (picture left) had his first collegiate start, commanding the zone with nine strikeouts (Jared Leiderman ’05 was the last Swarthmore pitcher to have nine strike outs on March 16, 2005 against Neumann College). In the fifth following a Swarthmore error, the Brewers scored an unearned run on a two out double play by freshman third baseman David Ringold (Seattle Wash. / Ballard).
Swarthmore was the first to light up the scoreboard in the first inning by taking advantage of a Brewer throwing error short stop Thomas Nakamura ‘10 (San Francisco, Calif. / Lowell), who reached on a walk scored when outfielder Jimmy Gill’s ’10 (Lewes, Del. / Cape Henlopen) ground ball to short stop was thrown wide of the first base bag.
In the second, Kevin Kooi ’09 (Lafayette, Calif. / Preparatory School) had an RBI single to left in to bring in left fielder Ben Schneiderman ’11 (Easton, Pa. / Easton) to make the score 2-0.
Vassar answered when Ringold lined a two-out RBI double to left, driving in pinch runner Joe Bubar (Washington, DC / Georgetown Day) in the fifth. The Brewers tied the game up in the following inning when senior outfielder Mike Murn (Huntington, N.Y. / Harborfields) smoked a lead off double off the left field fence. Murn moved to third on a ground out and was driven in by junior Tyler Bellstrom (Townshend, Vt. / Leland & Gray Union) who hammered a single through the drawn-in infield.
Senior Justin Chen (Media, Pa. / Penncrest) relieved Mejia in the sixth with the score 2-2 and runners on first and second. Chen induced a double play ball to end the Vassar rally worked out of jam in the seventh, striking out Vassar’s No. 3 hitter Ari Glantz (Cambridge, Mass./ Cambridge Rindge & Latin) and Murn with runners on second and third.
The Garnet defense continued to come up with huge plays in the field throughout the game, first baseman Matt Corso (Paramus, N.J. / Paramus) skied to snare Bubar’s line drive in the top of the eighth and alertly doubled-up the Vassar runner at second.
Gill led off the 10th with a single to right, freshman Andy Eisenlohr (Lower Merion, Pa. / Lower Merion) was intentionally walked before Corso reached first on an error by the Brewers’ short stop Joe Catilla (Weston, Fla. / Archbishop McCarthy). Vassar got out of the inning as Murn caught Casey’s line drive to right and threw Gill out at the plate.
In the 11th inning Vassar closed the game when junior outfielder Zack Miller (San Francisco Calif. / Lick-Wilmerding) doubled to left field brining in Bellstrom to make the score 3-2.
The last time a Swarthmore baseball game went to 11 innings was on April 27, 1996 in a 10-6 win over Haverford College.
Swarthmore will play on Thursday, March 6 against Arcadia at 3:00 p.m. before going on a week long spring break trip to Tampa, Fla.
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