Softball splits with washington

Baseball Rally Comes Up Short As they have done many times over the years, the Haverford and Muhlenberg baseball teams played a game whose outcome was in doubt until the final pitch. The Fords held on to win this one, 6-4, spoiling the Mules' first game at renovated Cedarcreek Field and gaining a split of the season series. Of the 15 games played between the two nines since 2004, 11 have been decided by two runs or fewer. The Mules (10-10, 4-2) trailed 5-0 before closing the gap on an RBI single by freshman John Muha and a home run by junior Bobby Spindler. Heads-up baserunning by senior Dan Fisher, who went first-to-third on a groundout and scored on another groundout, led to another run to make it 5-3 after five. That's the way the score stayed until the ninth. Haverford (12-8, 4-2) tacked on a key insurance run in the top of the inning after its first two batters were retired. In the bottom of the inning, sophomore Jesse Nusbaum led off with his fourth single of the game, and Muha doubled him to third. Two outs and one run later, Fisher walked to put the tying run on base. Fisher was running on a 1-0 pitch and looked poised to score when junior Jeff Puklin lined a ball toward the right-center gap, but it hung up long enough for the Ford right fielder to run it down for the game-ending catch. Fisher led off the game with a single, extending his hitting streak to 13 games and also scored a run for the 11th game in a row. Click here for line score. Click here for complete stats.

The Muhlenberg softball team didn't need an actuary to understand the value of insurance in its win over Washington in Game 1 of the teams' doubleheader.

Leading 5-3 heading into the seventh, the Mules tacked on three insurance runs, seemingly putting the game out of reach before the Shorewomen stormed back with three of their own in the bottom-half. Freshman Angie Sisco then did her best job of risk management, entering out of the bullpen and twice retiring the go-ahead run to claim the win for Muhlenberg, 8-6.

Kasza nearly sparked a rally in the second game but was robbed by an over-the-shoulder catch leading off the seventh.

The Mules built that lead beginning with a home run by junior Jess Kasza to lead off the second. Freshman Elizabeth Sullivan tacked on another when she singled, advanced on a sacrifice and scored on a two-base error, and classmate Devon Barber made it 3-0 with an RBI single to right.

Washington, as it would do later in the game, followed suit with three runs of its own in the bottom of the inning. But Muhlenberg added two more in the third frame on a two-out, two-RBI single from Sullivan.

Junior Alyssa Bruckner breezed on the mound over the next four innings, allowing just one hit. The Mule bats went quiet during that stretch as well before reawaking in the seventh. Junior Ashley Brewer led off the inning with a triple and was promptly knocked in by sophomore Brittany Blohm. After a sacrifice and a steal sophomore Shelby Smith ripped a double to right center, plating two more and making it an 8-3 game.

But Bruckner ran into trouble in the seventh after giving up three straight hits and was lifted for Sisco. The freshman gave up a hit to her first batter, giving the Shorewomen runners on first and second and one out. But she induced back-to-back groundouts to shortstop to close the door and pick up her first career save.

Washington (8-10, 3-3) held Muhlenberg (7-10, 3-3) to just three hits in the second game and scored all of its runs on a two-out, two-RBI single in the third in a 2-0 win.

Brewer added another triple in Game 2. Her two other career triples also both came on the same day in the front and back ends of a twinbill.
Click here for line scores.
Click for complete stats: Game 1 | Game 2