Golden Garnet Offense Riled Up in Reading
READING, Pa. -- Swarthmore infielder Katherine Gold '08 hit a home run and drove in three runs while sophomore hurler Kathryn Riley tossed a one-hitter as the Garnet swept both ends of a doubleheader from Penn State-Berks by scores of 5-3 and 16-0 Saturday afternoon at Hintz Athletic Field.
The Garnet (7-5 overall) climbed up .500 for the first time in 2008 after a grueling spring break schedule. Swarthmore is hitting its stride with Centennial play looming on the horizon, having out-scored their opponents 56-13 over the last seven games.
Swarthmore spotted the Nittany Lions (1-9) a pair of runs in the first inning of game one but tied it up in the top of the second on a two-run home run by Garnet sophomore catcher Michele Perch (Kinnelon, N.J. / Kinnelon). It is the first career four-bagger for Perch (
above).
Gold (Cherry Hill, N.J. / Cherry Hill East) added a two-run shot of her own in the sixth inning as Swarthmore scored three times to rally from a 3-2 deficit. Garnet freshman Melissa Emmerson (Ringwood, N.J. / Lakeland Regional) followed Gold with a double and scored on Perch’s RBI single.
Gold (right) is the fifth different Swarthmore hitter to go yard, bring her career total to five as well.
Swarthmore junior right-hander Alexandra Zelaski (3-3) picked up her third consecutive win, allowing just one hit in the final five innings. Zelaski tossed all seven innings, striking out seven batters while walking just one batter.
The Garnet had everything going their way at the plate in the second game, drilling 15 hits, including seven in an eight-run third inning. Five different Swarthmore women accounted for two hits and three hitters drove in at least three runs. Gold went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored, frosh Maggie Vizcarra (Long Beach, Calif. / Long Beach) added a 2-for-3 effort with three RBIs and three runs scored and classmate Lauren Marczi (Chester, N.J. / West Morris) drove in three runs on two hits.
Junior outfielder Lauren Walker (Fallston, Md. / Hotchkiss School) had two hits and scored her first four times on base, the first Swarthmore player to score four runs since Samantha Brody ’05 crossed the dish four times in a 10-8 season-ending win over Widener on April 27, 2004.
More impressive was Riley’s effort on the hill. The sophomore breezed through five innings, striking out eight batters while allowing only one hit with one walk. In her last 14 innings she has allowed just two hits, striking out 20 batters while walking only three. Riley (4-2) owns a 2.53 earned run average with 42 strikeouts and just seven walks.
Swarthmore makes its 2008 home debut this Tuesday, March 25 with a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader versus Widener.