FORT MYERS, Fla. – After waiting out a lengthy weather delay to start the day's action, the Haverford College baseball team swept a pair of games on Monday at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic, securing victories over Wisconsin Lutheran and Otterbein to improve to 4-2 on the young season. The Fords defeated the Warriors, 10-9, in walk-off fashion in extra innings, then returned to top the Cardinals, 11-6, in the nightcap. On the day, Harry Genth went 4-for-8 with a double, triple, home run, four RBIs, and three steals, while Matt Dahl finished 4-for-10 with six RBIs, a double, and a run scored.
Game 1: Haverford 10, Wisconsin Lutheran 9 (10 Innings)
Dahl was the hero in extra innings against Wisconsin Lutheran, delivering two hits, a run, and three RBIs, including a game-winning two-run single in the bottom of the 10th to give Haverford an exciting 10-9 victory.
At the plate, Genth, Anthony Runfola, Dahl, and Mauro DeCillis each had two hits, while Genth, Runfola, and Kendrick Curry II recorded two stolen bases apiece.
Wisconsin Lutheran started strong, scoring three runs in the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. After two hits and a walk, an RBI single from Noah Zaccanti put the Warriors on the board, followed by RBI knocks from Ian Rintelman and Oliver Lopeztello to extend the lead. Despite Lopeztello driving in a run, Daniel Rosman threw out Zaccanti at home to limit the damage.
The Fords answered in the second inning, scoring three runs to tie the game at 3-3. Jack Wallis led off with a single and later scored on Dahl's RBI single. Dahl crossed the plate when DeCillis singled in the sophomore third baseman, and a double by Genth brought in Miles Prusek, knotting the score.
Ethan Goldstein and Warriors starter Elijah Shelvy kept both offenses quiet until Luke Treese relieved Goldstein in the sixth. Treese gave up two singles before Lopeztello singled in Zaccanti to give Wisconsin Lutheran a 4-3 lead.
The Fords rallied in the eighth, beginning with a walk and stolen base by Curry II. Prusek singled him in to tie the game at 4-4, and then Genth was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Prusek for a 5-4 lead. Runfola walked to force in DeCillis, and Chuck Norton capped the four-run rally with a sacrifice fly that scored Rosman, putting Haverford up 7-4.
But the Warriors weren't done. A bases-loaded walk and a three-run double in the ninth from Rintelman put Wisconsin Lutheran back on top, 8-7. In the bottom of the ninth, Curry II led off with a single, then advanced to third on a stolen base and a passed ball. He later scored on a sac fly from Prusek to tie the game at 8-8, forcing extra innings.
Lopeztello doubled to start the 10th and scored on a sac fly from Eli Michaelis to give the Warriors a 9-8 lead. Drew Doyle limited the damage to just one run, setting the stage for Haverford's dramatic finish.
Genth walked to lead off the bottom of the 10th, advancing to second on a balk. Norton reached on a fielding error, moving Genth to third, and a stolen base by Norton and a walk to Wallis loaded the bases. Dahl then ripped a single to center, scoring Genth and Norton for the walk-off win.
Game 2: Haverford 11, Otterbein 6
Riding the momentum from Game 1, Haverford struck first in the evening session against the Cardinals. Miles Prusek led off the third inning with a walk and was bunted into scoring position by DeCillis. Prusek then advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on another wild pitch to give the Fords a 1-0 lead.
After tossing three scoreless frames, Sam Cohen ran into his first spot of trouble in the fourth. Otterbein rallied for three runs, with RBI hits from Charlie Greenlief and JT Gels, putting the Cardinals up 3-1. Haverford responded immediately, with a walk to Runfola and a one-out single by Curry setting the stage for Dahl again, who tied the game with a two-RBI double.
Otterbein regained the lead in the fifth when Max McCann doubled home a run, but with the lights starting to take effect on a warm evening at Terry Park, Genth answered, powering his second homer of the season to tie it at 4-4.
The Fords kept attacking, rallying with two outs in the fifth. Wallis singled, Curry doubled into the gap for the go-ahead run, and Dahl followed with an RBI single to make it 6-4. Haverford added more insurance in the sixth, with Prusek lifting a two-run homer and the Fords manufacturing another run with stolen bases and a walk to score a run on a groundout from Wallis.
Otterbein pulled back within three runs in the seventh, but Haverford put the game away in the eighth. Rosman walked, Genth continued his hot day with an RBI triple, and later scored on a wild pitch, giving the Fords a commanding 11-6 lead.
Cohen earned the win, tossing six solid innings with six strikeouts and just two walks. Colin Lewis pitched the seventh, and Jack Couture made his first career appearance, earning a save with two strikeouts and no hits allowed.
Haverford returns to action tomorrow with a doubleheader against Skidmore right back at Terry Park beginning at 9 a.m. ET. Live video and live stats are available via the Haverford schedule page.
