---

BY JARED NOLAN

In print | Published April 23, 2009

Swarthmore baseball (11-22, 3-13 CC) had a grueling four-day stretch of games last week that included four contests against the top two teams in the conference. The team began the tough schedule with games on Thursday and Friday against Ursinus College (21-9-1, 12-4 CC).

In the first game against the best team in the conference, the Garnet competed until the last out but ultimately lost 4-2. The Bears easily took the second game, however, using a seven-run eighth inning to coast to a 12-4 win.

The Garnet did not fare any better against the Franklin & Marshall Diplomats (18-12-1, 11-5 CC), who are right behind Ursinus in the conference standings.

Swarthmore dropped both games of the Saturday doubleheader, but they did give the Diplomats a scare in the first game.

After five innings of the seven-inning contest, the Garnet held a 3-2 lead, but the Diplomats evened the score in the sixth when a sacrifice fly sent home a Diplomat who had reached base on an error. Franklin & Marshall won the game in the seventh off a walk-off single down the left field line.

Amid pleasant weather on Sunday, the Garnet turned things around back at home in front of the largest crowd of the season.

With Family Weekend providing the influx of spectators, Swarthmore played its best ball and swept a doubleheader from Gettysburg (7-9, 14-19 CC) after not beating the Bullets in seven years.

Neil Mejia ’11 shined in the first game, tossing a complete game while holding the Bullets to two runs, striking out four batters and only walking two.

Anthony Montalbano ’12 powered most of the offense for the Garnet. The first-year third baseman drove in two of Swarthmore’s runs and had two hits in four at-bats in the game to lead the Garnet to a 4-2 victory.

In the second game, Montalbano once again bolstered the Garnet scoring. He crossed the plate twice in the first two innings as the Garnet jumped out to an early six-run lead.

Swarthmore did not need all of the runs, however, as Zach Weiner ’12 came through with a stellar performance to handle the Gettysburg hitters for six innings.

The Bullets finally got on the board in the seventh with an RBI single, but Weiner remained composed and finished the inning without missing another beat.

The Garnet relievers took the game from there and allowed only one more run in the 7-2 win.

Weiner finished his second career start with three strikeouts and only allowed one run off six hits in the seven strong innings he pitched.

The outing earned the first-year his first collegiate victory in a season that has seen quite a shuffle on the Garnet mound.

The Garnet ends its conference schedule this Saturday at home with a doubleheader against Dickinson (9-21, 5-11 CC).

Even though they have already been eliminated from playoff contention, Swarthmore will still have something to play for this weekend — a sweep of the Red Devils will edge the Garnet in front of Dickinson (and out of last place) in the conference standings.

Head coach Stan Exeter is standing by a full-steam-ahead approach, noting that the Garnet will look to “compete for all 16 innings this weekend.”

The first game on Saturday starts at 12:30 p.m.

---

« RETURN TO SPORTS

« PREV ARTICLE | NEXT ARTICLE »