SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Haverford College softball team (28-13) saw its historic 2026 campaign come to a close on Sunday afternoon, falling 12-1 in five innings to top-seeded Swarthmore College (33-8) in the Centennial Conference Championship at Clothier Field. The Fords finished the season with 28 victories, matching the 2019 squad for the second-most wins in program history. Despite the loss, Haverford's spirited postseason run captivated the College community and marked its first appearance in the conference final in seven years.
Haverford looked to strike first in the top of the opening frame. With two outs, Lauren Martin doubled to left-center. Shelby Preisser followed with a single to center field, but the Garnet defense held firm as Iris Barone fired a strike from center to catcher Rae Barron to cut Martin down at the plate. Swarthmore wasted no time seizing the momentum in the bottom half. Iris Barone led off with a double and scored on an Emilee Espinoza triple. Espinoza then crossed the plate on a throwing error to make it 2-0. The Garnet added three more runs in the frame, including a two-RBI double by Kate Borza and a run-scoring groundout by Ava Babcock.
The Fords threatened again in the second after Kamaha'o Bode walked and Abby Litchfield singled, but both were left stranded. In the bottom of the inning, Avery McClure broke the game open with a towering two-run home run down the left-field line, extending the Swarthmore lead to 8-0. After a quiet third inning, the Garnet tacked on four more runs in the fourth. Following three walks and a pitching change that saw Sophia Faruol enter in the circle, McClure singled through the left side. An error in the outfield eventually allowed three runs to score on the play, and Borza later added an RBI single to bring the score to 12-0.
Haverford broke through in the top of the fifth. Litchfield hit a leadoff single and advanced to third on a pair of groundouts. Senior Jocelyn Leal then lined an RBI single to center to plate Litchfield for the Fords' lone run. Anna Stowe drew a pinch-hit walk to keep the inning alive, but a fielder's choice ended the rally and the contest via the run rule. Clarissa Smith (3-4) was tagged with the loss in a bullpen game. Kaleigh Bodak, Sehelby Preisser, and Faruol all saw action in the circle during the combined pitching effort.
Swarthmore's Lilly Goldberg (18-3) earned the win, scattering four hits over three scoreless innings. She was named Centennial Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player after going 3-0 with a 0.47 ERA during the long weekend.
Swarthmore earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Garnet are the first team to go back-to-back since Muhlenberg College in 2000-2001 and the first to do so since the tournament format began in 2001.
