CARLISLE, Pa. - Early April always brings the excitement of the sprint to the Centennial Conference Softball tournament and that enthusiasm was certainly on display as the Fords and Red Devils of Dickinson split a doubleheader on Saturday at Dickinson Park in Carlisle. The Fords (7-15, 2-2 CC) took a 5-3 win in the first game behind a stellar turn in the circle from Maya Casey, before the Red Devils (7-14, 1-5 CC) battled back to defend homefield with a 5-2 win in the second.
The Fords took command of game one with a four-run rally in the second inning. Madison Hujber opened up the frame with a single and advanced into scoring position with a wild pitch. After Maddie Etheridge laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, Phoebe May then launched a sacrifice fly to open the scoring. A hit by pitch and an error allowed Abby Olivier and Kaila Uyeda to reach, and Olivier came into score as Dickinson made an error on a double steal attempt. Carley Parsons kept the line moving with a booming double into the left-center field gap, and Abby Marquis then singled for a 4-0 advantage.
Haverford surrendered two runs in the third as Lindsay Kucker powered a double into left, but Marquis came up with a huge swing of the bat in the fourth, delivering with a light-tower power display as she charged a pitch past the left field fence to extend the lead to 5-2.
Casey ran into some trouble in the final frame as Dickinson had designs on a rally. The first two hitters reached ahead of Hannah Seburn's fielder's choice. A wild pitch put two runners into scoring position, and Kucker helped her own cause with a big single into left, but Casey got the final two batters on balls that did not leave the infield to secure her fourth win of the season.
In total, Casey fanned a pair and allowed seven hits in the complete game effort. Marquis was again the catalyst for the Haverford offense, going 3-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
In game two, the Fords scored first in the first inning, pushing a run across as Riley Kuehn struggled with control, walking five in the first frame. Haverford was held in check by Kucker, who took over in relief, but pushed across an insurance run in the top of the fifth. With one out, Hujber drilled a single and stole second. Phoebe May then poked a single into left field to plate Hujber.
Unfortunately, Dickinson batted around in the bottom of the inning, with Kucker again doing the major damage with a two-run single that ultimately gave Dickinson a lead it would not relinquish. A fielder's choice and a double steal helped give the Red Devils insurance heading into the final two frames.
Casey took over again in the circle after a valiant start from Rachel McQueen. McQueen logged 4.1 innings pitched, allowing just four hits but falling victim to four walks as Dickinson made those free bases count. Casey fired just 13 pitches in the sixth inning, helping to keep the lead at three.
Kucker was the star of the day for the hosts, as she calmly fired a perfect seventh to deliver the split to Dickinson.
Uyeda and May each had two-hit games in the second game. Marquis (.477, 31 hits in 65 at bats with 13 doubles) has been the sparkplug for the Haverford offense all year and was again with her bat staying in the lineup at catcher for both contests.
The Centennial Conference gauntlet now continues in earnest as the Fords head to Washington College on Tuesday, April 12 for a doubleheader. The Fords have 12 regular season Centennial contests remaining, with those games squeezed into a span of three weeks.