SWARTHMORE, PA - The Swarthmore College softball team split its double-header at Neumann University on Thursday afternoon. The Garnet won the opener 7-2, but dropped the finale 5-1. 

Swarthmore rallied for 12 hits in the opener with six different players driving home runs. Regan Valenzuela led the charge with a 3-for-4 effort, while Avery McClure and Linnaea Rasmussen had a couple hits and an RBI, respectively. 

NEUMANN 2, SWARTHMORE 7
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Garnet rallied for three runs on five hits in the first inning. Iris Barone and Valenzuela opened the frame with singles. The pair later scored on RBI knocks from McClure and Rasmussen. Jazziah Manning then brought home another insurance tally with a single through the right side, making it 3-0. 

- Neumann got a run back in the bottom of the first before Swarthmore countered with a run in the second. Lia Fong opened the inning with a single and later scored on a Valenzuela base hit. 

- Lilly Goldberg shut down the Knights with a pair of strikeouts in the second. However, Neumann scraped across another run in the third after a lead-off triple, shrinking its deficit to 4-2. 

- Valenzuela and McClure both singled to spark a rally in the fifth. Rasmussen then singled back to the pitcher to plate Valenzuela. The Garnet would add another pair in the sixth on sacrifice fly outs from Elisabeth O'Connor and Barone.

GARNET OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Valenzuela: 3-for-4, 2 R, RBI
Rasmussen: 2-for-3, RBI
McClure: 2-for-4, RBI. R

GARNET PITCHING LEADERS
Goldberg: (W, 7-3), 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO
Castor: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO


NEUMANN 5, SWARTHMORE 1
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Neumann took advantage of a Swarthmore error to plate three runs on two hits in the first inning. The Garnet then answered with a run in the second on an O'Connor single to left field.

- The Knights expanded its lead to 5-1 with a pair of runs in the second. Swarthmore then loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth, but were unable to get a run across. 

- The Garnet threatened again in the fifth inning after Barone and Emilee Espinoza singled to put two runners on with one out. However, the Garnet stranded the pair on base to end the inning. 

GARNET OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Barone: 2-for-4, RBI, SB
Espinoza: 2-for-4

GARNET PITCHING LEADERS
Roberts: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB

UP NEXT
The Garnet (13-7) open conference play with Muhlenberg College on Saturday.