softball’s bats silenced by perfect devil

Red Devils snap baseball's four-game winning streak; men's tennis falls at home Things couldn't have started better for the Muhlenberg baseball team in its game against Dickinson: In the top of the first, senior Jason Daniels achieved a rarity by striking out four batters (one reached on a wild pitch). But the end didn't go so well, as the Red Devils scored six in the top of the ninth to break open a close game en route to a 10-5 win. The loss drops Muhlenberg (10-23-1, 7-8) into a tie for fifth place in the Centennial Conference with three games to play. Swarthmore is 8-7 in the chase for the fourth and final playoff spot, and Washington is also 7-8. Going up against the reigning Division III pitcher of the week, who struck out 21 batters in his last start, the Mules came back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the score at 2-2. After Dickinson (19-14, 5-10) took another two-run lead, Muhlenberg had a golden opportunity to tie the score in the bottom of the eighth, plating one run and putting runners on second and third with nobody out. But two foul popups and a flyout ended the threat. Daniels finished with a career-high 10 strikeouts. Senior Joseph DiCecilia went 3-for-5 with a double. Click here for line score. Click here for complete stats. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The Muhlenberg men's tennis team fell at home to Dickinson, 8-1. Freshman Ben Berkowitz picked up the Mules lone win in a third set supertiebreaker at No. 5 singles. Click here for box score.

The Mulenberg softball team was one out away from taking a tight pitchers’ duel in the opener against Dickinson.

But the Red Devils used a two-out rally to push the tying run across in the top of the seventh, and then added the game-winner in the eighth to take game one of the doubleheader, 2-1. In the nightcap, the Red Devils' Allison Jordan tossed her second perfect game in less than week to complete the sweep with a 3-0 win.

The two losses drop the Mules (18-15, 9-5) to fourth place in the Centennial Conference, one-and-a-half games in front of Franklin & Marshall and two games clear of Gettysburg for the final playoff spot. Muhlenberg can clinch a postseason berth with at least one win at first-place Ursinus on Saturday.

In game one, senior Ashley Brewer and Jordan went pitch-for-pitch as neither team registered a base runner for the first three-and-a-half innings.

Muhlenberg claimed the game’s first hit when sophomore Devon Barber laced a line drive down the right field line to lead off the fourth. Barber eventually stole second, her 16th of the season, but would get no further.

The Mules finally broke through in the six when senior Alyssa Epstein, pinch hitting for freshman Chelsea Benjamin, hit a ball to almost the exact same spot where Barber’s landed for a leadoff single.

Then freshman Colleen O’Donnell laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that came to a stop just between the pitcher and catcher to move Benjamin, who had reentered the game to run, to second.

After Barber drew a walked, freshman Erica Wenzel hit a shot to the right-center gap that scored Benjamin and moved Barber to third.

But after Brewer (right) got a pair of groundouts to start the seventh, Dickinson used a single and double to plate the tying run. In the eighth, the Red Devils’ leadoff hitter reached after being hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved to third on a groundout before scoring on a single up the middle.

Brewer struck out three and did not walk a batter in the tough-luck loss.
Click here for line scores.
Click for complete stats: Game 1 | Game 2