Cushing Provides Soft Landing Against Fords
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Swarthmore freshman shortstop Elizabeth Cushing had three doubles and drove in four runs while Garnet hurler Kathryn Riley '10 tossed a complete-game shutout as the Swarthmore softball team split a Centennial doubleheader with rival Haverford Saturday afternoon at Clothier Fields.
The Garnet improved to 13-22 on the season and 3-11 by winning the second game, 4-0. The Fords (18-12, 11-5) held off Swarthmore in the first game, winning 7-6.
In game one, Swarthmore opened up a 2-0 lead in the first at-bats as leadoff hitter Kira Kern ’11 (Newtown, Pa. / Council Rock) reached on an infield hit and came around to score on a bases-loaded walk drawn by classmate Krista Scheirer (Norristown, Pa. / Germantown Academy). Cushing (Del. / Padua Academy) drove in a second Swarthmore, plating Lauren Walker ’09 (Fallston, Md. / The Hotchkiss School [CT]) with an RBI ground out.
The Fords responded with four runs in the top of the second. Catcher Laura Iwanyk led off the inning with a home run to left-center and Natalie Richman’s two-out, two-run single put the visitors up, 4-2.
Swarthmore cut the deficit to 4-3 in the third when Cushing (right) doubled off the centerfield wall to drive in Walker.
The Fords struck for three more runs in the top of the fourth, highlighted by another two-run single off the bat of Richman.
Swarthmore continued to come back at Haverford, scoring two more runs in the bottom of the fifth as Cushing drove in a pair with her second double (this one to left field) of the afternoon. The Garnet got within a run as pinch hitter Melissa Emmerson ’11 (Ringwood, N.J. / Lakeland Regional) delivered a two-out double to drive in Scheirer.
Haverford starting pitcher Lisa Karmel (6-5) earned the win while Samantha Fontinel got the final two outs of the game to pick up her third save of the season. Swarthmore freshman Marley Spector (Woodmere, N.Y. / George Hewlett) suffered the loss, falling to 2-3 on the season after 5.0 innings of work.
The second game saw a power outage incur with the pitching duel between Swarthmore’s Riley and Haverford’s Becky Garibotto taking center stage. The pair spread six hits over the first five innings, allowing zero runs in the process.
Swarthmore drew first blood, scoring three runs in the sixth inning. Riley drove home senior Kristin Caspar (Briarcliff, N.Y. / Briarcliff Manor) with a single up the middle and Scheirer followed with a double off the fall, bringing Riley and Walker home. Cushing crushed another double down the left field line, putting Swarthmore ahead 4-0.
Riley (Dagsboro, Del. / Indian River) (8-9) allowed just one hit in the last three innings to complete her fifth shutout of the season (16th of her career). Riley’s line read: 7.0 innings, five hits, zero runs, two strikeouts and two walks.
Garribotto (6-4) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on six hits with a strikeout and no walks.
Riley was 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate in game two while Scheirer account for two RBIs.
The Garnet will celebrate Senior Day tomorrow with a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader against the McDaniel Green Terror.