FORT MYERS, Fla. – Opening play at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Sunday afternoon, the Haverford College baseball team battled late but ultimately fell to Baldwin Wallace, 11-4, at the Terry Park Complex, the former spring training home of the Minnesota Twins.
Facing a Yellow Jackets squad that entered the weekend receiving votes in the national poll, Haverford (1-2) showed resilience down the stretch, plating three runs in the ninth inning to close the contest.
Baldwin Wallace (5-2) seized early momentum with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Consecutive hits set the stage before a two-run single to center from Colin West pushed the Yellow Jackets in front, 2-0. The advantage grew to 4-0 after the hosts added two more runs in the second inning as Sean Kolenich cashed in Mason Fixx before scoring on a double steal.
Haverford responded in the top of the third. Mauro DeCillis reached on a walk and promptly swiped both second and third base before crossing the plate to put the Fords on the scoreboard. The trademark aggressive baserunning from the Fords trimmed the deficit to 4-1.
Baldwin Wallace answered with a four-run third inning to stretch the lead to 8-1. The Yellow Jackets continued to apply pressure with additional runs in the sixth and seventh innings, building an 11-1 margin heading into the final frames.
Despite the deficit, the Fords mounted a late rally in the top of the ninth. Luke Treese ignited the inning with a double down the line before Jackson Sgro followed with a run-scoring double of his own to left field. After an error allowed another run to score, rookie Cole Roman delivered the final blow of the inning with an RBI triple to center, bringing the score to its eventual 11-4 final.
Treese and Sgro each recorded extra-base hits, while Roman's triple highlighted Haverford's three-run ninth inning. Ryan Field added a single, accounting for the Fords' four hits on the afternoon.
On the mound, Sam Cohen made the start for Haverford, striking out four over three innings. Colin Lewis provided an effective stretch out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit across two scoreless innings while striking out three. Sammy Angel made his relief debut while Miles Flack also added a clean inning in his first career appearance, fanning two.
Baldwin Wallace starter Brit Kostura earned the victory after limiting the Fords to one run across six innings. Jared Thacker tossed 2.2 innings of relief, fanning six Fords but allowing three runs.
Haverford continues play at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic on Monday with doubleheader action. Baseball opens with Alfred State at 9 a.m. before returning to face Hiram at noon to wrap the second day of action in the Sunshine State.
