Rain and Terror Swarm Swarthmore Baseball Field
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The rains came early at Clothier Fields, postponing the start of Saturday's Centennial doubleheader, and the McDaniel bats followed, leading to a Green Terror sweep over Swarthmore.
McDaniel (8-16 overall and 5-7 Centennial) won the first game 8-1 and then captured the afternoon tilt by a score of 11-4. Swarthmore dips to 8-15 overall and 2-10 in the Conference.
A pitcher’s dual developed between a pair of freshman right-handers in game one with McDaniel’s Tyler Persun (Mount Joy, Pa. / Donegal) and Swarthmore’s Neil Mejia '11 (Oak Park, Ill. / Oak Park River Forest).
Swarthmore squeezed across a run with two outs in the fourth inning. Garnet rightfielder Jimmy Gill '10 (Lewes, Del. / Cape Henlopen) registered the game’s first hit with sharp single to center. Gill moved up a wild pitch and then came around to score on a single to center by freshman Andy Eisenlohr (Lower Merion, Pa. / Lower Merion).
The Green Terror scored four unearned runs to take a 4-1 lead in the sixth frame, highlighted by a bases-loaded single to left by McDaniel junior Zach Croft (Laurel, Md. / DeMatha) that drove in two runs.
McDaniel tacked on four more in the top of the seventh, chasing Mejia. Second baseman Jon Zimmerman (Lemoyne, Pa. / Cedar Cliff) provided the big hit in the inning, drilling a two-run single to left.
Persun (2-0) picked up the win for McDaniel, tossing all seven innings allowing just the one run on three hits while striking out three. Mejia (4-3) took the loss going 6.1 innings, giving up four earned runs and fanned four batters with just one walk.
McDaniel catcher Justin Reitz (Halifax, Pa. / Halifax) opened up the scoring in game two, launching first home run of the season over the left field fence for a 1-0 lead.
The Green Terror benefited from the long ball again in top of the third inning as leftfielder Russell Coover (Schuylkill Haven, Pa. / Blue Mountain) launched a drive to left, sending Eisenlohr to the fence. The Swarthmore freshman tracked the ball the whole way, momentarily catching the ball before a violent collision with the fence popped the ball out of his glove and over the fence for a grand slam home run (Coover’s second home run of the season).
Swarthmore fought back for of runs in the sixth as senior Scott Dalane (N.J. / Vernon) reached on an error while Gill and catcher Wiley Archibald ’10 (Berkeley, Calif. / College Prep School) followed with singles. Sophomore outfielder Justin Hughes (Oakland, Calif. / International) delivered a run-scoring single one out later to put the Garnet on the board.
Third baseman Conor Casey ‘09 (San Francisco, Calif. / Lowell) followed with a base hit to left, driving in Gill to make it 8-2 and sophomore Thomas Nakamura (San Francisco, Calif. / Lowell) picked up his first RBI of the day while reaching on a fielder’s choice.
Garnet junior second baseman Kevin Kooi '09 (Lafayette, Calif. / Preparatory School) generated a run in the seventh inning, singling to right-center and moved up on a ground out. The spry infielder swiped third base and trotted home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Gill. Kooi leads the Garnet with nine stolen bases in 2008, yet to be caught this season.
Casey led the Garnet offensive effort in game two, going 2-for-4 with an RBI while Gill completed the day with two hits and two runs scored.
Swarthmore resumes its long-time rivalry with Haverford this coming week, traveling to the Main Line on Tuesday, April 15 for a 3:30 p.m. game before coming home for Senior Day on Friday, April 18. First pitch is also slated for 3:30 p.m. at Clothier Fields.