HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College baseball team (9-10) recorded a 16-1 midweek victory over Main Line foe Eastern (7-15) on Wednesday afternoon, jumping on the Eagles for 11 runs in the first three innings before cruising to victory with insurance tallies in the sixth and seventh frames. The only blemish in a stellar "bullpen game" performance from the pitching staff was a seventh-inning solo shot from Eastern leadoff hitter Brian Lang.
The Fords tagged starter Riley Kiebach for the eventual winning run straight out of the gates, grabbing three in the first inning as Anthony Runfola delivered a two-RBI single to set the tone early. Luke Smith singled home a run ahead of a Zach Becker triple in the second, and Zach Crampton then doubled in the third to break things wide open at 6-0.
The Fords added six more in that third frame, with Smith and Becker each lashing singles ahead of a sacrifice fly from Runfola. Pranav Rane left earth with his first career home run in the fourth, and the Fords tacked on two more in the sixth inning before scoring two on bases-loaded hit by pitches in the seventh.
On the mound, Haverford looked poised with eight pitchers combining to toss nine innings. In that whole staff effort, Haverford allowed just seven hits and four walks while striking out four. Wyatt Mattison (1-1) got the win as the pitcher of record in the midweek bullpen contest, allowing just one hit in his two-inning stint on the hill. Patrick Coleman, Justin McAllister, Jack Sampson, Mitchell Pagano, Kevin Casey, Colin Lewandowski, and Dali Pomfret also all tossed an effective inning in the victory.
Despite the offensive outburst, the Fords spread their firepower around with Smith, Becker, and Rane the three Fords with multi-hit days. Reserves Jonny Flieder and Jordan Shand also came off the bench to punch through singles.
Haverford improved to 35-18-1 all-time against the Eagles, picking up the first win in the head-to-head series against Eastern since a 2017 meeting at the Maplezone Complex in Aston. The win was Haverford's first against Eastern at Kannerstein Field since 2011.
The Fords now hop right into Centennial Conference action with the conference opener slated for Saturday, April 2 against Dickinson. The doubleheader features action between the Fords and Red Devils, with game one at noon and game two at approximately 3 p.m.