SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Haverford College Softball team made a resounding statement on Saturday at Clothier Softball Field, pairing an explosive offensive outburst with a dominant pitching performance to surge into the Centennial Conference Championship final for the first time since 2019. The fifth-seeded Fords stormed through elimination play with an emphatic 11-3 win over Gettysburg before riding a historic gem from Kaleigh Bodak to a 1-0 victory against Muhlenberg, setting up a championship rematch with No. 22 Swarthmore.
Haverford 11, Gettysburg 3
The bats set the tone early in the opener, as Haverford (28-12) overwhelmed third-seeded Gettysburg with 17 hits in a wire-to-wire victory. Addie Sapirstein sparked the offense from the top, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored, while Shelby Preisser matched her with three hits, including a triple, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Zoe Friedman delivered one of the most impactful performances of the day, finishing 3-for-4 with a triple, a home run, and three RBIs. Lauren Martin added two hits and two RBIs, Kama Bode chipped in a 2-for-3 effort with a double and an RBI, and Kyra Van Denburgh recorded two hits with an RBI of her own.
Haverford wasted no time taking control, erupting for four runs in the first inning. Sapirstein led off with a double and later scored on Preisser's RBI triple. Bode followed with an RBI double before Friedman broke the game open with a two-RBI triple to right center, giving the Fords a 4-0 advantage before Gettysburg could settle in.
The Fords continued to apply pressure throughout the game, extending the lead to 5-0 in the second and answering a Gettysburg push in the fourth with runs in the fifth and sixth. The knockout blow came in the seventh, when Friedman launched a solo home run and Haverford tacked on three more runs to put the game out of reach at 11-2.
In the circle, Clarissa Smith provided a steady start, allowing just two unearned runs over 3.1 innings, while Bodak earned the win in relief with 3.2 innings of one-run ball to improve to 10-4 on the season.
Haverford 1, (RV) Muhlenberg 0
With momentum firmly in hand, Haverford turned to Bodak once again in the afternoon elimination game against Muhlenberg, and the lefty promptly delivered one of the most dominant performances in program history.
Bodak carried a perfect game into the seventh inning, retiring the first 19 batters she faced before a one-out single broke up the bid. Undeterred, she completed a one-hit shutout to lift the Fords to a 1-0 victory and punch their ticket to the championship round.
Defense played a critical role behind her, as Friedman and Sapirstein tracked down multiple deep drives to preserve the historic outing and keep Muhlenberg off the basepaths.
The lone run of the game came in the fifth inning. Abby Litchfield started the rally with a double to right-center and moved to third on a bunt single by Sarah Fan. Sapirstein then delivered the decisive play, a ground ball to second that allowed Litchfield to score for the game's only run. Haverford threatened to add more, but Muhlenberg cut down a runner at the plate to keep the margin at one.
The tension peaked in the bottom of the seventh, when Muhlenberg loaded the bases with two outs. Bodak, however, remained composed, inducing a flyout to Friedman in right field to seal the complete-game shutout and her 11th win of the season.
Josie Krieman took the hard-luck loss for Muhlenberg, allowing just five hits in a complete-game effort as the Mules closed their season at 32-11.
With the pair of victories, Haverford is one victory shy of matching the program wins record and advances to its first Centennial Conference final since 2019. The Fords will need to defeat top-seeded Swarthmore twice on Sunday at Clothier Softball Field to claim the championship and secure its first NCAA Tournament berth in a decade. First pitch of game one is set for 12 p.m., with a second game to follow at approximately 2:30 p.m. if necessary.
