CHESTER, Pa. – The Pride swept the Haverford College Fords on Thursday, winning game one 9-7 and game two 2-1. Widener has won three of their last four games.
The Pride are 7-9 in the regular season. They are 0-2 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST HAVERFORD
Game 1
Katelyn Tong led the way with two runs.
Kaylin Johnson had three hits.
Caitlyn Katchur recorded the save, going five innings and allowing five hits and four runs.
Although the Pride did not score in the first inning, they had success in getting women on first and second base. The second inning was more of the same for the Pride. This time, they had runners on second and third base. The Fords responded in the third following two short offensive innings. With women on second and third base, the Fords scored an RBI after an obstruction penalty was called on the catcher by the home-plate umpire. A Haverford double moments later brought in two more scores. Johnson was on third base in the bottom of the third, but she was not able to bring in a run. Haverford led 3-0 after three.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Pride went straight to work.
Leah DiGiandomenico hit a home run on Widener's first at-bat of the inning to cut into the deficit. Even with bases loaded toward the end of the inning, the home run was the lone run brought in for Widener. Haverford would score one runner in the top of the fifth, but the Pride were ready for them. Four Widener runs were scored in the bottom of the fifth. The Fords made a pitching change as the Pride loaded the bases.
Liv Robinson hit an RBI. Then,
Jalia Lawrence's double was good for three RBIs to end the inning. Widener led 5-4. While the Fords homered in the sixth, the Pride loaded the bases once again in the bottom of the sixth. A Haverford error turned into an RBI for the Pride, and the score was tied 6-6. This game required eight innings to determine a winner. The Fords scored one run in the top of the eighth to take a narrow 7-6 advantage. However, the Pride would win the game in the bottom of the eighth. Tong smacked a three-run home run to walk it off for the Pride. Widener won the game 9-7.
Game 2
Mikayla Fedele and
Becca Tiley tied with one run each. Tiley and DiGiandomenico recorded one RBI each. Fedele pitched all seven innings. She only allowed one run, and she struck out two batters.
As the Fords were coming off a heartbreaking loss, they started the second game of the day with a solo home run in the first inning. The Pride had Johnson in scoring position in the bottom of the first, but the Fords retired the Pride on a groundout. Both sides made great defensive stops in the second and third innings. Neither side could get more than four batters to the plate per half-inning. The Fords finished off the Pride in the bottom of the third on a strikeout and getting a runner out caught stealing. Haverford led 1-0 after three.
The Pride scored their only runs of the game in the fourth inning. Back-to-back doubles eliminated Haverford's lead, and a DiGiandomenico RBI single put them up 2-1. Widener's defense made a stop in the top of the fifth, stopping runners on first and third from advancing any farther. The Fords returned the favor in the bottom of the fifth. For their final out, they caught a Widener runner in a rundown between second and third base. Both sides were able to get multiple women on base in the sixth inning, but the score remained the same. Down by just one run, the Fords looked for momentum in their favor. The Pride, though, finished the game with three groundouts in four batters. Widener won the game 2-1, and they swept the Haverford series for the day.
UP NEXT
The Pride continue their home stretch on Sunday, April 2, where they will host the Messiah University Falcons in a doubleheader. The games are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
