CLERMONT, Fla. – Behind a dominant performance in the circle from Kaleigh Bodak in game one and a balanced offensive attack in game two, the Haverford College softball team picked up a pair of victories on Tuesday at The Spring Games, defeating Wesleyan (Conn.), 5-0, before topping Otterbein, 10-4. The sweep moved the Fords to 5-1 overall during their Florida trip.
Haverford 5, Wesleyan 0
Haverford opened the day with a commanding win as Bodak delivered the most impressive pitching performances of the young season.
The left-hander tossed a complete-game shutout, scattering three hits across seven innings while striking out seven and walking three. Bodak consistently worked ahead in the count and limited Wesleyan to just one extra-base threat while stranding runners in key moments.
The Fords gave their starter early breathing room in the second inning. Zoe Friedman worked a leadoff walk before Addie Sapirstein singled to put runners at the corners. Grace Stowe followed with a sacrifice fly to open the scoring, and Sarah Fan executed a perfectly placed bunt single that plated Sapirstein to make it 2-0.
Haverford added to the lead in the fourth when Grace Stowe doubled into the gap, pushing the margin to 3-0.
The offense continued to apply pressure in the middle innings. Sapirstein delivered again in the fifth with a clutch RBI single, and Litchfield added her second run-producing play of the afternoon with an RBI single in the sixth.
Sapirstein finished 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Litchfield recorded two hits. Stowe drove in two runs to pace the offense.
That support was more than enough for Bodak, who closed the door by retiring the final six batters she faced to secure the emphatic shutout against a Wesleyan team that reached the NESCAC final a season ago.
Haverford 10, Otterbein 4
The Fords carried their momentum into the late-afternoon matchup with Otterbein, erupting for seven runs over the first two innings en route to a 10-4 victory.
Haverford wasted little time responding after Otterbein plated the game's first run, erupting for five runs in the bottom of the first inning to seize control. Kyra Van Denburgh ignited the rally and later scored the equalizer when Shelby Preisser lined an RBI single through the infield.
Lauren Martin then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to bring Preisser home and give the Fords the lead. The inning continued as defensive miscues by Otterbein allowed two more runs to cross, with Zoe Friedman and Abby Litchfield both scoring on an error before Addie Sapirstein eventually came around on a walk by Grace Stowe, capping the five-run frame and staking Haverford to a 5-1 advantage.
The Fords extended that lead in the second inning as Litchfield drove in two more with a groundout to shortstop, allowing Preisser to advance to third while Jocelyn Leal and Van Denburgh both crossed the plate to make it 7-1.
Otterbein chipped away with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but Haverford responded again in the bottom of the sixth. Van Denburgh scored on an infield error to start the rally before Martin delivered the big swing of the inning, ripping a two-run double to right field that plated Friedman and Leal to push the advantage to 10-3.
Otterbein added an unearned run in the seventh, but the early five-run burst and Martin's late extra-base hit helped the Fords maintain control the rest of the way.
Haverford has Wednesday off from competition before returning to action on Thursday against Curry (1:45 p.m.) and Suffolk (3:45 p.m.) as play at The Spring Games continues in Clermont.
