CENTER VALLEY, Pa.–Freshman Nico Aldaco hit his second home run of the season to lead off the game, but the Swarthmore College baseball team (16-9) could not hold on to the lead as it fell by a 4-3 score to the DeSales Bulldogs (12-9) on Wednesday, April 6.

Aldaco and Jaron Shrock both had two hits on the afternoon and drove in a run for the Garnet. Roy Walker, the lone upperclassmen in the lineup, hit his team-leading ninth double of the season and crossed the plate once.

Sophomore starter Jackson Ramey took the loss, despite surrendering just one earned run in seven frames. Griffin Kammerer also made an appearance, allowing no hits and one walk in an inning of relief.

Aldaco's bomb on a 1-0 count put Swarthmore ahead 1-0 before DeSales tied the game in the bottom of the inning. In the third, the Bulldogs capitalized on an error with two outs for a three-run inning and a 4-1 advantage. The Garnet got a run back in the fourth as Walker doubled and was brought home by Shrock's base hit to center field.

Swarthmore made it a one-run game in the eighth as Cal Barnett-Mayotte scored on a wild pitch. Barnett-Mayotte led off with a walk and reached second on Aldaco's single. A sac bunt put both runners in scoring position with one away, but the Garnet managed one run as DeSales clung to its lead and held on to take the game.

The Garnet return home on Friday, April 8 for a conference game against Haverford College at 3:30 p.m.