Swarthmore Wins Home Opener
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Garnet centerfielder Lauren Walker had three hits and scored twice while freshman Maggie Vizcarra added four hits as Swarthmore softball defeated Widener 5-1 in the 2008 home opener Tuesday night at Clothier Fields.
The Pride (10-6) pounded out 11 hits to win game two by a score of 4-2.
A pitcher’s duel between Swarthmore sophomore Kathryn Riley (Dagsboro, Del. / Indian River) and Widener sophomore Kim Dougherty (Belle Mead, N.J. / Montgomery) developed in the first game as neither pitcher allowed a hit in the first three innings.
Widener’s Krista Cesarine (Ridley Park, Pa. / Ridley) broke up the no-hit bid with a single up the middle in the top of the fourth but Riley got the next Pride batter to pop-out, ending the inning.
Walker (Fallston, Mary. / The Hotchkiss School) picked up Swarthmore’s first hit in the bottom of the inning and immediately swiped second base. Walker (above) leads the Garnet in hitting (.412) and stolen bases (10).
Riley showed opposite field power, driving Walker home with double to the left field fence. Junior Christine Sendelsky (Edison, N.J. / John Stephens) pushed Riley to third with a hard grounder to second and Vizcarra (Long Beach, Calif. / Long Beach) followed with a smash down the left field line, scoring Riley for a 2-0 Swarthmore lead.
The Pride got on the board in the top of the fifth when designated player Steph Connolly (Aston, Pa. / Sun Valley) led off by drilling a first-pitch dropball from Riley over the centerfield fence for her first home run of the season.
Swarthmore struck for three more runs in the sixth. Riley walk and Swarthmore inserted pinch runner Kristin Caspar (Briarcliff, N.Y. / Briarcliff Manor) while the Pride countered with relief pitcher Kelsey Shultz (Parker Ford, Pa. / Owen J. Roberts). Caspar moved up to second on Sendelsky’s sacrifice bunt and Vizcarra (below) followed with a soft double to left, putting runners on second and third. Gold followed with a walk to load the bases with just one out. Freshman Melissa Emmerson (Ringwood, N.J. / Lakeland Regional) came through with a single into shallow center, scoring Caspar to put Swarthmore up 3-1. Shultz drilled Garnet catcher Kira Kern ’10 (Newtown, Pa. / Council Rock North) in the ribs, the first time the frosh has ever been hit by a pitch, bringing Gold home with a fifth Garnet run.
Riley (5-2) tossed all seven frames, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out six. Dougherty took the loss for Widener, slipping to 3-2 on the season after pitching five innings and giving up three runs on five hits.
Swarthmore sent freshman Krista Scheirer (Norristown, Pa. / Germantown Academy) to the rubber in the game two, her first collegiate appearance. The first-year (0-1) battled through the Pride lineup, allowing four runs on 11 hits, suffering the loss.
Widener got considerable production from the bottom of the lineup, led by leftfielder Lauren Brubaker (Newtown Sq., Pa. / Marple Newtown) who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored.
Vizcarra led Swarthmore with two hits and an RBI while Riley reached base three times, doubling, scoring and driving in a run.
The Garnet hold two more home non-conference doubleheaders this week, hosting Arcadia on Thursday, March 27 (3:00 p.m.) and Rowan on Sunday, March 30 (1:00 p.m.). Swarthmore opens Centennial play on Saturday, March 29, busing to Carlisle, Pa. for a doubleheader with Dickinson at 1:00 p.m.