Athletics News

GAME ONE BOX

GAME TWO BOX

CHESTER, Pa.  -- Swarthmore senior Ashley Brandt went three for five, including her first collegiate home run, and scored three runs as the Garnet were swept in a doubleheader at Widener University on Tuesday, 9-2 and 5-4.

Widener freshman Kim Dougherty stymied Garnet hitters throughout much of the first contest, allowing only five hits in a complete game victory.

The only offense that the Garnet could muster came in a two-run fifth inning. After sophomore Kristin Caspar reached base on an error, Brandt singled, and Michele Perch '10 knocked in Caspar on an RBI-single. Perch finished the first game 1-for-1 with the RBI single, sacrifice bunt, and a hit-by-pitch.

Senior hurler Marianne Klingaman took the loss for the Garnet, pitching 3.2 innings and giving up nine runs on eleven hits with three strikeouts.

The second contest featured a nail-biting finish, with the Garnet falling 5-4. Swarthmore junior Emily Walz surrendered three runs in the first inning, but pitched effectively the rest of the way, giving up four runs on six hits with two strikeouts. 

The Garnet battled back after the early 3-0 deficit with a solo home run by senior Kelly Siano in the second inning and a two-RBI double by freshman Kathryn Riley in the third.

In the fifth inning, Brandt homered over the right-centerfield fence to give the Garnet the 4-3 lead. Brandt finished the second game 2-for-2, with a single, home run, RBI, and two runs scored.

Widener (12-6) tied up the game in the sixth and won the game on a walk-off RBI-single by sophomore Krista Cesarine in the bottom of the seventh.

Swarthmore (7-5) looks to avenge these loses as they return to the diamond on Thursday, March 29, as they travel to Arcadia University for a doubleheader scheduled to being at 3:00 p.m.

MATCH RESULTS

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The 19th-ranked Swarthmore women's tennis team lost for just the second time in their last 47 Centennial regular season matches, falling to Johns Hopkins 5-4 at the Faulkner Courts Tuesday afternoon.  Jennie Park '09 took home wins in both her doubles and singles match.

Swarthmore (4-3 overall, 2-1 CC), winners of three of the last four Centennial Championships, saw its current streak of 31 Conference wins a row come to an end.  The last time the Garnet were defeated in Centennial action came on March 17, 2004 at Muhlenberg College—a 5-4 setback. 

The afternoon began with heated doubles action in the No. 1 pairing. After a 3-4 deficit, the doubles team of seniors Sara Sargent and Sonya Reynolds (the second-ranked pair in Atlantic South region), came back to take the lead. To win the tenth game, Sargent and Reynolds both charged the net, and their opponents instinctively retreated towards the baseline. Before the Lady Jays could find their footing, Sargent smashed a baseline volley to increase their lead to 6-4. But today was not their day as the Swarthmore pair fell 9-7 to Hopkins' Brittany Matava and Anita Bhamidipati.

At No. 2 singles, the #18-ranked duo in the Atlantic South region of Park and Erica Lukoski '08 trumped Becky Busch and Amanda Schubert from Hopkins 8-1. The No. 3 doubles pair of Rachel Wallwork '10 and Marissa Matthews '07 ousted their opponents 8-3 as Swarthmore grabbed an early 2-1 lead.
 
Playing at No.1 singles as late replacement for an injured Reyonlds, Park battled past Hopkins' Brittany Matava, who beat her last season by a score of 6-3, 6-3. The end of the three set match was well worth the wait. After Park etched in a first set win (7-5), Matava took the second set 6-1. Moments later, Park returned the sentiment, decisively taking the third set by a score of 6-1.

Sargent's victory over JHU's Tanya Gulnik was just as impressive. Winning 6-4, 6-4 at No. 4, she was the only Garnet player to win her match in consecutive sets.

The Garnet continue conference play on Sunday, April 1, traveling to Maryland to play Washington College at 1:00 pm.

BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Garnet infielders Thomas Nakamura '10 and Conor Casey '09 each had two hits and an RBI as Swarthmore's comeback fell short on Opening Day of the 2007 Centennial Conference schedule against visiting Washington.  The Shoremen (7-6, 1-0 CC) got three hits and two RBIs from junior Kirk Hines to defeat Swarthmore (2-9, 0-1 CC) by a score of 8-7 on a warm Tuesday afternoon at Clothier Fields.

Darren Colannani (2-1) pitched six innings, striking out two with two walks while Hines tossed two innings for his second save of the season.

Garnet starter Justin Chen '08 (0-2) suffered the loss, pitching three innings while allowing only two runs on three hits with two strikeouts.

Washington's Zachary Huba led off the game with a single to center and the next batter, James Tidwell reached on a fielder's choice.  Doug Lutz pushed the runners over with a sacrifice bunt before Mike DeBartolome smoked a one-hopper back to Chen, who caught Huba leaning off third, erasing the Shoremen centerfielder in a rundown.  Washington eventually picked up two early runs when the Swarthmore defense threw away a potential inning-ending grounder, allowing two Shoremen runs to cross the plate.

The Garnet defense re-deemed itself in the second inning.  Catcher Andy Bender '08 gunned down Hines trying to steal second base for the second out.  Washington still had a runner on third with two outs when Huba drilled a line drive destined for the outfield grass.  Swarthmore freshman second baseman Wiley Archibald took two steps and climbed the ladder, snaring the liner for the third out.

Casey got the home team on the board in the fourth inning, dropping a two-out single into right field to drive home junior Travis Allen, who had doubled down the line two batters earlier.

Sean Varsalona '09 came on in relief of Chen in the fourth, getting three Washington batters out with a runner at second to keep it a one-run game.

Washington added five runs to their lead in the sixth frame.  Greg Perret and Jim Gibbons hit back-to-back singles to left and moved up on a wild pitch.  Hines delivered for the visitors with a single through the left side, bring in Perret and Gibbons for a 4-1 lead.  After Hines swiped second, Huba followed with a single of his own and took second base on the first opportunity.  Tidwell, the next Shoremen to the plate, laid down a sacrifice bunt that the Garnet were unable to handle.  One Washington runner scored and Mike DeBartolome followed with an RBI groundout to second base, scoring Tidwell for a 6-1 Shoremen advantage.

After Washington picked up another run in the seventh the Garnet offense roared back, loading up the bags in the bottom of the seventh as Colananni began to tire.  Swarthmore sophomore Grant Yoshitsu singled to left, Bender drew a walk and Colananni plunked Archibald.  Senior Sammy Faeder hit a one-hopper to the right side and the Washington first baseman threw wild to the plate, allowing two Swarthmore runs to cross.  Nakamura plated Archibald with a single to left   Washington brought in reliever Eric Lickenstein but Allen and freshman Jimmy Gill drive a ball to the right side of the infield to bring home Faeder and Nakamura, respectively.  Swarthmore totaled five runs on just two hits to cut the Shoremen lead to 8-6.

Swarthmore threatened again in the bottom of the ninth, getting the game to 8-7 when Faeder doubled off the third base bag and scored when Nakamura was caught stealing second.  The Washington reliever, Hines, allowed just single by Gill before closing out the game.

Casey was 2-for-3 on the afternoon with two walks while Nakamura went 2-for-5 with a run and a stolen base.  Faeder scored two runs to go along with his double.  Freshman reliever Zach Sinemus made his team-high sixth appearance of the season, pitching two scoreless innings.

Swarthmore completes the home-and-home affair with Washington on Friday, March 30 in Chestertown, Md. at 3:30 p.m.  The Garnet return home on Saturday, March 31 for a doubleheader with Johns Hopkins, slated to start at 1:00 p.m.

MATCH RESULTS

SPRINGFIELD, Pa. --S warthmore sophomore David Lau and senior Eric Zwick shot 75 and 78, respectively, to lead the Garnet to victory in the first spring match at Rolling Green Golf Club Monday afternoon.

The Garnet compiled a team score of 322--the best of 2006-07--outdistancing Delaware Valley (336), Cabrini (342), Ursinus (351), and Eastern (362).

Lau, starting at the par-3 151-yard third hole, was even through the first six holes (including a birdie on the 417-yard fifth hole) before a three-put on No. 9 ended up in a triple-bogey.  The lanky sophomore re-grouped quickly and played the back nine in one-over 36, dropping in another birdie on the elevated 18th green.  Lau went bogey-par on the first and second holes, entering the clubhouse as the low man--it is the third-best round of his young collegiate career.

Zwick, a First Team All-Centennial selection in 2006, used steady iron play to take third place in the individual standings.  The senior picked up nice birdie on the picturesque 18th hole to complete the back nine with a 38.

Joseph Scioscia from Delaware Valley was second overall with a 76 while Chris Lawler from Cabrini (80), Swarthmore freshman Jeffrey Lazarus (81) and Bo Maguire from Ursinus (81) rounded out the top-five.

The Garnet return to the links this Friday afternoon, playing an exhibition match in South Jersey, facing off against the club team from Richard Stockton College.  Swarthmore returns to competitive action on Monday, April 2 at the Lebanon Valley College Spring Tournament hosted at the Lebanon Country Club, a par-72 track.

LANCASTER, Pa. -- Swarthmore pitcher Alexandra Zelaski has been named Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 19-25. 

Zelaski, a sophomore right-hander, tossed her first shut out of the season in a 10-0 win over Penn State-Berks on March 25.  She limited the Nittany Lions to five hits in five innings, striking out one batter to post her fourth career shut out.

Zelaski (3-0) has a 2.19 earned run average (ERA), second on the team, in 16 innings of work this season.  It is the second Conference Pitcher of the Week honor for Zelaski—she earned both Centennial and ECAC South Region Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 3, 2006.

Zelaski is the second Garnet softball player to be recognized by the Centennial in 2007; shortstop Katherine Gold was named Conference Hitter of the Week on March 19

Swarthmore is 7-3 overall in 2007 and will open up Centennial Conference play on April 5 at Ursinus.

Located near Philadelphia, Swarthmore is a highly selective liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,500. A member of the NCAA Division III and the Centennial Conference, Swarthmore is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Garnet freshman Abbe Muller scored a career-high five goals, including the game-winner with 2:46 left in overtime, as Swarthmore defeated Smith 13-12 in the third-place game at the 2007 Seven Sisters Lacrosse Championship Sunday afternoon.

On a brisk New England day, the Pioneers (3-2) scored three goals in the final three minutes of regulation to force the extra time.  The Garnet re-grouped in overtime and Swarthmore senior Lindsay Roth, an All-Tournament selection, fed Muller for the game-winner at the 2:46 mark.

Muller finished the afternoon with a game-high six points while Anna de Regt '09, Megan Sanborn '08 and Marissa Schaffer '09 each posted two scores.  Megan Sanborn, a junior midfielder and the MVP of the 2006 Seven Sisters Championship, was also selected for the All-Tournament team after accumulating two goals, three assists and five ground balls.

The Garnet resume Centennial action this Thursday, March 29 at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa.

GAME ONE BOX

GAME TWO BOX

SWARTHMORE, Pa.  -- Swarthmore sophomore Lauren Walker went 5-for-8 and scored three runs while Garnet hurlers Kathryn Riley '10 and Alexandra Zelaski '09 did not allow an earned run as the hometown team swept Penn State-Berks in the 2007 home opener Sunday afternoon at Clothier Fields. 

Swarthmore (7-3), playing for the first time in 10 days, won the first game 6-1 and cruised in the nightcap 10-0.  The game was scheduled to be played at the PSU-Berks campus on Saturday, but poor weather forced the move to Swarthmore.  The Garnet coaching staff, players and Swarthmore's facilities department worked hard this week to get the field ready for game-time after recent snow and rain.

The first game featured a dominant pitching performance by Riley and a big inning by the Garnet bats.  With Swarthmore ahead 2-1, senior Melissa LaVan led off the inning with a single.  Junior Emily Walz followed with a towering double to left field and sophomore Kristin Caspar plated both runners with single up the middle for a 4-1 Garnet lead.  Walker reached base with a perfect bunt up the first base line (her fourth hit of the game).  Sophomore infielder Christine Sendelsky busted the game wide-open with a bases-loaded single two batters later.  Sendelsky drove the ball back through the box, scoring Walker and freshman Michele Perch to give Swarthmore a commanding 6-1 lead. 

Riley (3-0) overwhelmed the PSU-Berks hitters, striking out 11 batters while allowing only three hits for her second shutout of the season.  Riley has yet to allow an earned run in 24 innings pitched in her brief college career and leads the team with 23 strikeouts.

Walker was a perfect 4-for-4 in the first game, including a perfect bunt for a base hit, to go along with three stolen bases.  Sendelsky drove in three runs while posting a 2-for-4 effort at the dish while LaVan was also perfect (3-for-3) with a run scored.

The second match-up had PSU-Berks as the home team on the scoreboard but Swarthmore was the one cozy in the confines.  With Zelaski breezing through the PSU-Berks lineup (five hits, five innings), the Garnet only needed a 10-run second inning to pick up their fifth consecutive win.

Zelaski tied Riley for the team-high with her third win of the season, picking up her first shut-out of 2007 and fourth of her career.  Offensively, Caspar was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

The Garnet will be on the road for three of their next four match-ups.  The team travels down Route 320 to face Widener at 4:00 p.m. on Tues., March 27 and then head to Arcadia on Thursday, March 29 for a 3:00 p.m. twin-bill.  Swarthmore will return to Clothier Fields on Tues., April 3 for a 3:00 p.m. dance with Rosemont before opening up Centennial Conference play at Ursinus on Thursday, April 5 at 3:00 p.m.

GAME ONE BOX SCORE

GAME TWO BOX SCORE

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The University of Scranton got two strong pitching performances from freshman Justin Champagne and senior Ed McDonnell as the Royals swept a pair of games from hometown Swarthmore Sunday afternoon at Clothier Field.  Scranton (4-7 overall) won game one 6-0 and then took the second contest 10-2, dipping the Garnet to 2-8 on the season.

The first game began as a pitchers' duel.  Swarthmore sophomore Kevin Kooi, making his first collegiate start on the mound, breezed through the first three innings.  Scranton got a two-out single from Chris Bligh in the top of the second, but Bligh, trying to steal second, was gunned down by Garnet junior catcher Andy Bender.

Meanwhile, Scranton starter Champagne was strong early, retiring the first nine Garnet he faced.  Champagne frequently fell behind in the count but made the pitches he need to get outs.  He was helped by a superb diving catch by right fielder Kevin Johnson, robbing Swarthmore's Conor Casey '09 to end the second inning.

Scranton finally got to Kooi in the top of the fourth.  Johnson led off the inning with a walk, first baseman Mike Graziano beat out a slow roller to short for a single, and second baseman Chris Psihoules found the gap in left-center for an RBI double.  A pair of sacrifice flies gave the visitors a 3-0 lead and the Royals added one more before junior Justin Chen relieved Kooi and retired the side.

Swarthmore senior Sammy Faeder broke up the perfect game leading off the bottom of the fourth with a ground-ball single up the middle.  Swarthmore went on to load the bases with two outs, but Graziano got Casey to ground out to end the threat.

Scranton threatened again in the top of the fifth but Garnet first baseman Noah Cooper-Harris '07 made a diving stop of a groundball and tossed it to Chen covering the bag, ending the inning.  The Royals got the big two-out hit in the sixth, a two-run single by Graziano off of Swarthmore freshman southpaw Jimmy Gill to extend the lead to 6-0.

Swarthmore freshman Justin Hughes kept the Royals off the scoreboard in the seventh, but Champagne only got stronger as the game went on, retiring the last eight batters he faced and striking out the side in the seventh to end the game.  The Scranton freshman (1-0) allowed just four hits while striking out eight to earn his first career win and shutout.

Kooi took the loss for the Garnet, falling to 0-1 after allowing five hits and four earned runs in 3.2 innings of work.  Chen, Gill, and Hughes combined to work the final 3.1 innings, allowing just two unearned runs.

Scranton got two runs in the first frame of game two off Garnet starter Casey, using a pair of sacrifice flies to grab an early 2-0 run.  The lead was short-lived, though, as Gill lined a first-pitch, two-out, two-run single into right-center scoring Faeder and Travis Allen '08.  Swarthmore freshman Thomas Nakamura started the rally like a true leadoff man, working a walk after a seven-pitch at-bat.  After stealing second with one out, he was erased at third as Faeder reached on a fielder's choice.  Faeder stole second and third as Allen and Dalane walked to load the bases before Gill delivered the base hit.

The Royals came right back with five unearned runs in the top of the second.  Four Garnet errors helped the rally along; Graziano contributed a two-run single for the offense.  Scranton added a run in the fourth as the Swarthmore bats were shut down by McDonnell who struck out eight batters in five innings for first win of the season.  Scott Garbe tossed two scoreless frames for Scranton, striking out a pair of batters to seal the Royals win.

Casey (0-2) took the loss after allowing eight runs (only two earned) with four strikeouts in five innings of work.

Faeder finished the afternoon with two hits, two stolen bases and a run scored while Gill added to his team-leading RBI total (seven on the season).

Swarthmore begins the Centennial Conference-portion of its schedule Tuesday, March 27 when Washington (Md.) College comes to Clothier Fields for a 3:00 p.m. game.

MATCH RESULTS

SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- The 19th ranked Swarthmore women's tennis team (4-2, 2-0 CC) swept Gettysburg College 9-0 Saturday afternoon at Faulkner Courts. With this win, the Garnet extended their Centennial win streak to 31 in a row.

Sonya Reynolds '07, Rachel Wallwork '10, Marissa Matthews '07, and Sara Sargent '07 took home wins in doubles as well as singles action.

The Garnet swept doubles play in swift fashion, giving up a mere eight games out of 32.

At No. 1 singles, Reynolds pushed past some early frustrations to take the match easily 6-1, 6-2 over the Bullets' Ali Moyer. At No.1 doubles, Reynolds and partner Sargent challenged the Bullets' Moyer and Rachel Steel, and won 8-3. Sargent went on to play Brooke Ranson in singles at No. 4, where she rallied to win 4-6, 6-4, 10-1.

Playing at No.2 singles, Wallwork continued the cool, smart play that has served her well in the early stages of her collegiate career. In a 6-0, 6-0 victory, she displayed her perfected forehand in a long rally against her opponent, Steel. After Steel rushed the net to end the point, Wallwork took the point for her own with a strong forehand down the line. Wallwork and partner Matthews, playing No. 3 doubles, beat Gettysburg's Laura Helland and Kristen Zeilinski 8-2. Matthews easily won her No. 3 singles match 6-1,6-1 over Kelly Eurlich.

The Garnet will host 26th-ranked John Hopkins on March 27 at 3:30 p.m.

GAME BOX SCORE

WELLESLEY, Mass.-- Sophomore Marissa Schaffer tallied a career-high five goals while captain Athena Samaras '07 and Hannah Jaicks '10 added three scores in Swarthmore's convincing 16-0 first-round win over Cedar Crest at the 2007 Seven Sisters Women's Lacrosse Championship hosted by Wellesley College.

Swarthmore, the 2006 champion, advanced to the semi-finals against Vassar, an 18-7 winner of Mount Holyoke.  The Brewers defeated the Garnet (4-3) by a score of 13-6 in snow and sleet on Saturday night. 

The Garnet now move to the third-place game against Smith College, scheduled to be played at 11:00 a.m. at Babson College on Sunday, March 25. 

Swarthmore used stifling defense, allowing Cedar Crest only four shots in the first half, to build a 12-0 lead before the break. Schaffer netted all five goals in the first period, while Jaicks and senior captain Lindsay Roth chipped in two each. Swarthmore added four more goals in the second half, including two from Samaras.  Garnet sophomore midfielder Melinda Petre reached a milestone, scoring her first collegiate goal at 10:21.

The Swarthmore defense, led by goalies Susannah Blair (three saves) and Allison Grein (two saves), posted a shutout in the opening round of Seven Sisters play for a second consecutive year.  The Garnet defeated Elms 14-0 on Clothier Field in 2006.

It is the 25th shutout in the history of the women's lacrosse program at Swarthmore and the first time the Garnet have blanked an opponent in consecutive years since 1984-85.