The Muhlenberg women’s golf team opened its 2005 season by winning the Dickinson Invitational for its first regular-season tournament championship ever.

The Mules shot a school-record 375 to easily defeat Dickinson by 28 strokes. The program’s previous record low was 424, set at last year’s home meet.

For the first time ever, Muhlenberg had two players shoot under 90. Senior Kristen Bruschi and sophomore Laura Fazio both carded an 89. Sophomore Kristen Amore was just three strokes back with a 92, as the Mules had three of the seven golfers to break triple digits.

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MEN’S GOLF
After three weather-related postponements, the Muhlenberg men’s golf team finally got its spring season underway and was sixth out of 18 teams at the Moravian Spring Invitational. Junior Chris Walach led three Mule golfers in the 70s, shooting a 77.

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Muhlenberg (10-3, 2-0) also extended its winning streak to six games, the longest streak since the 1999 team closed out the season by winning seven in a row.

Hart’s hit was especially important because darkness caused the game to be called early. It gave Muhlenberg a 9-5 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.

The Garnet (2-10, 0-2) got a run back in the bottom half of the inning, but senior Pete Lankarge came on to close the door. With runners on first and third and no out, he induced a double-play ball. Three batters later, Lankarge got the final out to earn his third save.

Much like Wednesday’s game between the teams at Muhlenberg, this one looked like another pitcher’s duel. Swarthmore got a run across in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead. Meanwhile, the Mule batters were silenced through the first four innings, going without a hit until they plated five runs in the fifth.

Sophomore Jason Bonder kept Muhlenberg in the game until the bats got going. He pitched six innings, striking out nine. He improved his season strikeout total to 25, a team high.

Behind two singles and a Swarthmore error, the Mules loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth inning. Sophomore Ryan Sassaman was hit by a pitch to bring in one run and then senior Matthew Long drove in another with a sacrifice fly. After a Swarthmore error allowed the third run to score, sophomore Pete Oris and Hart hit a RBI singles.

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