Box Score

SWARTHMORE, Pa. – A combined five runs in the seventh and eighth innings lifted the Swarthmore College baseball team (10-2) to a 9-7 non-conference win over Eastern University on Wednesday, March 18.

Senior Scoop Ruxin recorded five RBI on three hits while sophomore Ryan Burnett was 4-of-5 with three runs on the afternoon. Junior Nathan Booth picked up the win after striking out seven and allowing two runs in five innings and freshman Griffin Kammerer earned the first save of his collegiate career.

After allowing three runs in the first inning, the Garnet responded with two of its own in the bottom of the frame. Wesley Fishburn led off with a single and reached third after an error and stolen base. Burnett drove him in and John Lim used a single and an error by the Eastern pitcher to move into scoring position. Ruxin followed with a base hit to right field to cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Eagles added two more runs in the third, but ended the inning with bases loaded as it failed to extend its three-run lead. The Garnet capitalized in the fifth and moved two runs closer after Ruxin hit a two-RBI single to score Burnett and Lim.

After a scoreless sixth inning, Booth struck out three of the five batters he faced in the seventh to keep Swarthmore's deficit at one. In the bottom of the frame, the Garnet took their first lead of the afternoon behind another RBI from Ruxin and a two-RBI single from freshman Matt Palmer.

Eastern, however, did not go down without a fight and scored two runs on two hits in the top of the eighth to knot the game at seven runs apiece. The game did not remain tied for long as Zach Powell and Burnett scored to provide the final margin of victory. Kammerer closed the game out with a strikeout to move Swarthmore to 10-2 on the season.

The team resumes competition when it hosts Penn State Brandywine for a doubleheader on Saturday, March 21. Game times are scheduled for 12 and 3 p.m.