NORTH CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Swarthmore College Baseball split a pair of games on the opening day of the Snowbird Baseball Classic in sunny Florida on Saturday.
In game one, the Garnet fell to No. 20 Heidelberg University 5-1 and defeated Baldwin Wallace University in the second game of the day, 3-1. The Garnet improve to 4-1 and Heidelberg moves to 4-4 on the year, while Baldwin Wallace drops to 3-3.
GAME ONE: Heidelberg 5, Swarthmore 1
Luke Mutz singled through the left side to lead off the top of the first inning, but was unable to score as Heidelberg pitcher Trevor Adkins fanned two batters. With an out in the bottom of the second
Coleson Hebble roped a single up the middle and moved to second on an
Ari Fierer walk.
The Garnet and the Student Princes were entered the eighth inning scoreless. Keaton Mark opened the scoring as the junior crossed the plate on an Elliot Kurtz walk. The Garnet looked to get out of the inning with allowing only a run, but an error by Fierer gave life to the Student Princes. Jake Davis reached base on the error, while Eric DeVore scored on the play. Heidelberg closed out the eighth with another run and added two in the ninth for a 5-0 advantage.
Cole Beeker led the top of the ninth off with a double to deep left center field. After advancing to third on a
Josh Bein single, Beeker crossed the plate as the lone Garnet run of the game on a Hebble single to left field.
Hebble and Fierer led the Garnet with a pair of hits each. Mutz, Beeker, and Bein each collected a hit for the Garnet.
Holden Bridge added a pair of walks, and
Austin Burgess added a base on balls.
Oliver Hicks allowed one hit, three walks and struck out one in two innings of work on the mound.
Ryan Warm received the loss with four hits, three runs, two walks allowed and three strikeouts in 4.2 innings of action on the mound.
GAME TWO: Swarthmore 3, Baldwin Wallace 1
Bein wasted no time in the bottom of the first inning as the freshman roped an RBI single up the middle to score Mutz.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Beeker collected a single to left center field.
Jared Gillen singled to the shortstop, allowing Beeker to advance to move into scoring position. Bein added his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field as Beeker crossed the plate to give Swarthmore a 2-0 lead.
A two-out single by Hebble in the bottom of the seventh inning moved Bein into scoring position. The following at-bat, Bein, scored from second base on an RBI single through the left side by Burgess.
In five innings on the hill,
Sawyer Lake allowed five hits, one run, a walk and sat down five. Two of the five batters were caught looking by the lefty.
Jack Corkery earned the save for the Garnet as he walk one and struck out the final batter of the game.
Against the Yellow Jackets, the Garnet recorded a season-high ten hits. Gillen, Burgess and Fierer led Swarthmore with a pair of hits each. Mutz notched two stolen bases, a run scored and a walk for the Garnet.
Swarthmore returns to action on Sunday as they take on La Roche University. First pitch in North Charlotte, Fla. Is slated for 3:00 p.m.
