CARLISLE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College softball team clinched the top seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament with a 20-run differential in their double-header sweep against Dickinson College on Sunday. The Garnet needed a pair of victories and an 18-run differential to leap Gettysburg College for the top seed in the championship tournament.
The Garnet erupted for 10 runs in the opener, led by a four-RBI performance from Lia Fong. Lilly Goldberg was stellar in the circle, throwing five shutout innings and recording seven strikeouts to earn her third consecutive complete-game shutout.
Swarthmore's red-hot offense carried over to the second game with an 11-1 victory. The Garnet capitalized on five Dickinson errors to go along with 12 hits. Lane Barron and Goldberg combined for five strong innings, allowing just one run.
Olivia McClammy took down another program record, become the team's all-time leader in single-season RBI. She drove home her 53rd run of the season to break Michelle Walsh's record from 1998.
SWARTHMORE 10, DICKINSON 0
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Swarthmore capitalized on Dickinson's mistakes in the opening inning. The Devils loaded the bases with a strikeout wild pitch, a walk, and a hit batter. Fong then walked to bring in the first run, while Kate Borza followed with a sacrifice fly, making it 2-0.
- The Garnet extended their lead with three more runs in the second inning. Elisabeth O'Connor scored on an error, and Swarthmore added two more runs with a McClammy triple and an Emily Bertrand single.
- In the third, Iris Barone gave her team a six-run lead with a sacrifice fly. Goldberg then responded with a 1-2-3 frame to keep the Devils off the board.
- Bertrand hit a solo homer in the fourth inning. Swarthmore then added three more runs in the fifth with a bases-clearing, three-run double from Fong, extending their lead to 10-0.
- Goldberg sealed the win for Swarthmore with a flawless fifth inning. The first-year pitcher earned her 15th win of the season with her third consecutive complete-game shutout.
GARNET OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Fong: 2-for-3, 4 RBI, BB, 2B
Bertrand: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, HR
Barone: 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 3 R, SB
GARNET PITCHING LEADERS
Goldberg (W, 15-3) 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO
SWARTHMORE 11, DICKINSON 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Swarthmore rallied for four runs in the second inning to take an early lead. After a single by Bertrand and a double by Fong, Catherine Heflin doubled to bring both runners home and open the scoring. O'Connor added another run with an RBI single, while Dickinson committed an error that allowed an additional run to score.
- After Goldberg tossed two scoreless innings to open the game, Lane Barron gave up a run in the third on a single. The Garnet responded in the fourth, with a McClammy RBI single bringing the score to 5-1.
- The Garnet busted the game open with six runs in the fifth inning to take an 11-1 lead. Emilee Espinoza tripled to open the inning, and then came around to score on an errant throw. Bertrand and Fong also singled home runs, while the Garnet plated three more on two errors and a wild pitch. Barron retired the side in order in a shutdown fifth to clinch the top seed for the Garnet.
GARNET OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Heflin: 2-for-3, 2 RBI, R, 2B
Fong: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 R
Espinoza: 3-for-4, R, 3B
GARNET PITCHING LEADERS
Barron (W, 11-5) 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
Goldberg: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO
UP NEXT
The top-seeded Garnet (29-9, 15-1) host the winner of Washington College vs. Muhlenberg College on Thursday. All of this weekend's Centennial softball action will be hosted at Clothier Softball Field.
