Box Score SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Swarthmore College baseball team carried the momentum from its successful spring break trip into its home opener as the Garnet (9-2) routed Cairn (2-6) by a 21-0 score on Tuesday, March 17.
Four pitchers combined for the shutout with sophomore
Brian Gibbs picking up the win after striking out eight and allowing only one hit and no walks in five innings pitched.
The team got off to a fast start as it scored a combined nine runs in the first two innings.
John Lim drove in
Wesley Fishburn with one of his three hits on the afternoon and came home shortly after when sophomore
Steven Matos-Torres hit a two-RBI single through the right side. An error and a wild pitch allowed the Garnet to score two more runs and enter the bottom of the first with a 5-0 lead.
Four additional runs came in the second, spurred by
Scoop Ruxin's double to center field that drove in Lim and
Ryan Burnett. Two consecutive fielders' choices allowed Ruxin and
Roy Walker to score.
Although Swarthmore was held scoreless for the next four innings, the Garnet lead was safe thanks to strong pitching by Gibbs and the bullpen. The sophomore starter never faced more than four batters in a single inning and retired the side in order in both the fourth and fifth innings. Relief pitchers
Jackson Ramey,
Sam Alofsin,
Max Kassan, and
Griffin Kammerer each allowed only one hit on one inning pitched apiece.
In the seventh, Swarthmore's offense returned to form with six runs on five hits. Two errors allowed the Garnet to score three runs before
Brian Kaissi drove in
Gregory Cox with an RBI-single and senior
Zach Powell capped the scoring with a two-RBI double to left center.
The team scored five more runs in the eighth to bring its lead to 20-0 and added one more in the ninth to provide the final margin. Fishburn, Lim, Kaissi, and
Cal Barnett-Mayotte all recorded multiple hits in the game and 12 different players crossed the plate for the Garnet.
Swarthmore continues non-conference play when it hosts Eastern University on Wednesday, March 17 at 4 p.m.
