FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Haverford College baseball team (2-4) used a pair of home runs and a strong outing on the mound from senior Colin Lewis to secure a 7-2 victory over Pitt.-Bradford on Wednesday morning at Terry Park as the Gene Cusic Classic continued.
Lewis set the tone early for the Fords, working six innings and limiting Pitt.-Bradford (1-8) to just two hits while allowing one earned run. The senior struck out nine on 91 pitches and kept the Panthers off balance throughout his outing to earn his first win of the season.
After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning on an unearned run, Haverford responded in the third inning to seize control of the contest. The Fords plated three runs in the frame, taking advantage of a Pitt.-Bradford throwing error that allowed both Will Schroen and Jack Phiel to score. Later in the inning, Jackson Sgro lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to bring home Miles Prusek and give Haverford a 3-1 lead. An RBI groundout from Ethan Obergfell pushed across a run for the Panthers, cutting the lead to 3-2, but Haverford answered in the fourth inning with another three-run burst.
Schroen delivered the biggest swing of the day, launching a two-run home run to left field to plate Ryan Field and extend the Fords' lead to 5-2 with his first career round-tripper. Prusek followed by connecting on a solo shot as the two went back-to-back to give Haverford a 6-2 advantage. The Fords added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Jack Phiel reached on a Pitt.-Bradford fielding error, allowing Mauro DeCillis to cross the plate and push the score to 7-2.
Prusek finished with a standout day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, and two runs scored to pace the Haverford offense.
Following Lewis' stellar outing, the Haverford bullpen closed out the victory. Adam Naegelen, Sammy Angel, and Ethan Goldstein each tossed a scoreless inning to seal the win.
The Fords will return to action tomorrow with a single contest against Hiram (9 a.m.) as the Gene Cusic Collegiate continues from the Terry Park Complex in Fort Myers.
