BY CONOR CASEY

In print | Published April 20, 2006

Swarthmore is not exactly known for its stellar sports teams. The women’s softball team, however, would like to change that reputation.

After a split with Gettysburg College over the weekend, and a sweep of Washington College on Tuesday, the Garnet (19-12, 6-4 CC) have pulled into a tie for the fourth and final playoff spot with Gettysburg with six conference games left to play.

The Tide began their upsurge to a postseason berth on Saturday when they faced off in a home doubleheader against Gettysburg. Last year, the Bullets owned the best record in conference play, and this year, they were seeded third in the 10-team conference.

In the first game, rookie pitcher Alexandra Zelaski ‘09 went the distance, allowing only three earned runs. Meanwhile, left fielder Danielle Miller ’06 went 4-4 with a run scored, as power-hitting second baseman Christine Sendelsky ’09 and RBI machine Katie Gold ’08 combined to knock in all three of the Garnet’s runs. Nevertheless, these laudable efforts were not enough to overcome their opponent. Swarthmore’s defense made three costly errors that resulted in five unearned runs for the Bullets, and the Garnet lost by a final score of 8-3.

Angered by the game one loss, the Garnet determined not to crumble before the Bullets a second time. Although Gettysburg jumped out to a four run lead, with two in the first, and another two in the fourth, the pride of the 610 area code came roaring back with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the fourth inning, going on a four-run rally. Not satisfied, the Garnet slammed in another two runs in the following inning. Kelly Siano ’07 got the ball rolling with a double, one of three hits in the game for the first baseman. Marianne Klingaman ’07 then picked out a pitch she liked and hit it over the fence for a two-run home run.

The score remained 6-4 until the top of the seventh, when a Swarthmore error resulted in the Bullets scoring two unearned runs to tie up the score. However, the Garnet got revenge in its half of the seventh. With one out, Swarthmore loaded the bases on three consecutive base hits and brought Kristen Caspar ’09 to the plate. Caspar drilled the Shannon Kiry pitch for a walk-off base hit, bringing in Gold. The win broke the previous Swarthmore softball record for wins in a season, set when the team went 16-6 in 1986.

The win against Gettysburg was crucial, according to third baseman Melissa LaVan ’07. “It was huge,” she said. “It was probably the best moment of my softball career.”

Klingaman, one of the game’s stars, noted the difference between this year’s team, and the teams of the past two years. “I think we’re working better together as a team,” she said. “Everyone is contributing and picking each other up.”

LaVan was of a similar mind. “We’re a lot more cohesive, and definitely more confident,” she said.

The Garnet carried the momentum from game two on Saturday into their double header on Tuesday against the Washington Shorewomen. Zelaski took the mound in game one and led the Garnet with her superb performance. Surrendering only five hits, the first-year allowed no earned runs. The Shorewomen picked up their lone run of the game as the result of a Garnet error. Swarthmore got all the offense it needed in the third inning. After Miller singled, Sendelsky doubled to bring her in. Then Sendelsky came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Gold. With their resulting 2-1 lead, the Garnet held off all Shorewomen advances for the remainder of the game.

With Tuesday’s first win under their belt, the Garnet went into the second half of their twin bill against Washington looking to secure a second victory. Klingaman took the hill for Swarthmore, and surrendered only two runs by spacing the nine Shorewomen hits over seven innings. Other contributors in the game were Sendelsky, who went two for three with two runs scored and an RBI; Gold, who drove in two runs with a base hit of her own; and Lauren Walker ‘09, who went three for three with a run scored. The Garnet’s punch-packed lineup pushed across four runs in the game and completed their sweep of the Shorewomen with a 4-2 victory.

The Garnet expect to keep their playoff hopes alive in their home doubleheader this Saturday at 1 p.m. against last-place Franklin and Marshall.

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