SWARTHMORE, Pa. – The Swarthmore College baseball team had its home opener spoiled on Tuesday by a 7-4 loss to Cairn University. The squads battled through rain before the contest was ultimately ended after eight innings due to darkness.
 
The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when the Garnet broke the ice and took a 1-0 lead. However, the Highlanders pushed a pair of runs across in the sixth to go ahead and increased their advantage with a four-run seventh. Swarthmore got three runs back in the bottom of the seventh. In the eighth, Cairn added an insurance run to make it 7-4 and the Garnet were not able to muster a rally in their final at-bat.
 
Aidan Sullivan went 2-for-2 on the afternoon with two walks and a run. Matthew Silvestre tallied two hits and two RBI with Benjamin Buchman also picking up two hits. Sullivan and Silvestre both registered a double.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was a pitcher's duel early on as the Highlanders did not record a hit until the fourth inning. Swarthmore advanced a runner into scoring position in each of the first four frames but were unable to knock a run in.
 
- The Garnet finally broke through in the fifth with two outs. Max Roffwarg had an infield single then stole second. Roffwarg then broke for third on a pitch and kept going when the ball got away from the catcher behind the plate, scoring the game's first run.
 
- Cairn opened the sixth with a walk. After two outs, another walk put runners on the corners. The Highlanders then smacked a double to right to take a 2-1 lead. Cairn padded its lead in the seventh, scoring four runs on three hits while benefitting from two Swarthmore errors.
 
- In the bottom of the seventh, the Garnet took advantage of four walks, the last of which forced in a run to make it 6-2. Silvestre followed with a two-run double but an out at the plate ended the inning and kept the score 6-4.
 
- The Highlanders drove in an insurance run in the eighth to make it 7-4 and Swarthmore was retired in order in the bottom of the frame.
 
GARNET OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Hits: Sullivan, Silvestre, Buchman 2
Runs: Roffwarg 2
RBI: Silvestre 2
Stolen Bases: Roffwarg, Sullivan 2
 
GARNET PITCHING LEADERS
Andrew Moy: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K
Jack Bowling: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K
 
UP NEXT
The Garnet (2-2) host Stockton University on Friday at 3 p.m.