Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Baseball
3/9/15 v. Hiram College — 1-1
The Swarthmore College baseball team went 1-1 against Hiram College (2-2) on Tuesday, March 8 to improve to 3-1 on the season. The Garnet dropped the first game, 5-2, but ended the day on a high note with a 4-1 win in the second half of the doubleheader.
Sophomore Wesley Fishburn finished a perfect 5-for-5 with two triples and two runs while junior John Lim recorded 3 RBI.
3/11/15 v. Salve Regina — W 10-8
Warm, sunny weather turned to rain for the Swarthmore College baseball team (4-2) as the team split its doubleheader with Salve Regina on Wednesday, March 11 at the Player Development Complex in Fort Myers, Fla. The Garnet won the first game by a 10-8 score before falling 4-2 in five innings during the rain-shortened second half of the twinbill.
Junior Roy Walker went 4-for-5 in the first game and drove in six of the team’s 10 runs in the win. Sophomore Ryan Burnett and junior John Lim finished the afternoon with three runs apiece.
In the first game, it took only one hit for the Garnet to score five runs in the first inning and jump out to an early lead. Joseph Jackson drove in Wesley Fishburn after a fielder’s choice and Burnett scored on a throwing error by the third baseman. Two batters later, Walker hit a three-RBI triple to deep center field and put Swarthmore ahead 5-0.
Walked drove two more home in the fourth inning with a single and drove in Lim in the fifth for his sixth RBI of the game. Salve Regina, however, would score two runs in each of the first four innings to remain in the ballgame.
After two scoreless innings for both teams, Swarthmore took a 10-8 lead in the top of the seventh. Freshman Jaron Shrock knocked a leadoff double down the right field line and later scored on a sac fly by Fishburn. In the bottom half of the frame, the Garnet preserved its two-run lead with a play at the plate for the second out and ended the inning with a strikeout by Griffin Kammerer.
Swarthmore took its two-run advantage into the bottom of the ninth inning and ran into a tight situation with the bases loaded and only one out. Junior reliever Nathan Booth, however, picked up his third save of the early season after a Salve Regina runner was forced out at home and the final batter struck out looking.
Kammerer was credited with his first collegiate win after striking out four and allowing no runs in 3.1 innings.
In game two, the Garnet found itself in an early 2-0 hole after the first inning and fell behind 4-0 after a two-run fourth inning by Salve Regina. In the bottom of the fifth, however, Swarthmore capitalized on its opponent miscues to score two runs.
After Fishburn doubled to right center, a wild pitch on strike three allowed Burnett to reach first and a subsequent error by the catcher brought Fishburn around. Lim’s groundout scored Burnett from second and gave the Garnet a manageable, 4-2 deficit entering the sixth.
Salve Regina scored six runs in the top of the inning, but they were erased after the game was called in the bottom of the frame due to heavy rainfall.
3/12/15 v. Rivier University — W 11-4
3/12/15 v. Rivier University — W 6-2
The Swarthmore College baseball team (6-2) picked up two more wins on Thursday, March 12 when it swept Rivier University (1-5) by scores of 11-4 and 6-2. Sophomore Wesley Fishburn finished the day with four hits and five runs and freshman Jaron Shrock recorded two doubles, two runs and one RBI in Swarthmore’s first win.
Swarthmore head coach Matt Midkiff also earned his 100th victory as a college head coach; he currently has 46 wins at Swarthmore and recorded 54 in four seasons at Eastern University.
After two scoreless innings, the Garnet offense came alive in the next three frames to gain a 9-0 lead over Rivier. In the third, Fishburn singled and then stole his fifth base of the season to put himself in scoring position with one out. An error brought him home and put on second sophomore Ryan Burnett, who promptly stole third. At the next at bat, junior John Lim hit an RBI single to left field to the give the Garnet a 3-0 advantage.
Five more hits came in the fourth with Steven Matos-Torres leading off the inning with a single. Shrock’s double brought Matos-Torres to third and a wild pitch scored the sophomore. A single by Trevor Shepherd drove in Shrock and Fishburn capped off the scoring with a home run to left field, the Garnet’s first four-bagger of the season.
A four-run fifth inning started on a leadoff double by Joseph Jackson and the Garnet capitalized on two errors and a passed ball to increase the lead to nine. Fishburn added another RBI with a single to center field and Burnet also drove in a run with a two-out double.
Shrock added an RBI in the sixth with an RBI double that scored Gregory Cox and although Rivier answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Garnet lead was too much for the Raiders to overcome.
Sophomore southpaw Brian Gibbs earned the win, keeping Rivier scoreless through the first four, and freshman Sam Alofsin closed the game with one inning of shutout ball.
In game two, the Garnet used a four-run fifth inning to pull ahead of Rivier and complete the sweep with a 6-2 win. Freshman Jackson Ramey was credited with win after allowing no runs and striking out three in three innings.
Swarthmore gained an early 1-0 advantage in the first after Fishburn reached home on a wild pitch, but did not score in the next three innings. Rivier took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a two-RBI single, but Swarthmore answered with a strong showing in the fifth frame.
Freshman Cal Barnett-Mayotte began with a single to a right field and advanced to third after Fishburn singled up the middle for his fourth hit of the afternoon. The Garnet loaded the bases after Fishburn stole second and Lim was intentionally walked and scored three more runs on Scoop Ruxin‘s single and a Rivier error. Ruxin would eventually score on a wild pitch and Swarthmore added an insurance run in the sixth for the final 6-2 score.
3/13/15 v. St. Joseph’s — W 1-0
3/13/15 v. St. Joseph’s — W 13-2
Complete games from pitchers Luke Alventosa and Aidan Miller helped the Swarthmore College baseball team (8-2) sweep St. Joseph’s College Long Island to wrap up its spring break trip on a high note. The Garnet prevailed 1-0 in the first game of the doubleheader and routed the Golden Eagles, 13-2, in game two.
In game one, Alventosa pitched a seven-inning shutout and struck out two in his first win of the season. The Garnet offense had trouble getting started and one of its best opportunities to score came in the top of the fifth innings. Trevor Shepherd hit a one-out single to left field and advanced to second after a single by freshman Jaron Schrock. The bases were loaded when the next batter, Cal Barnett-Mayotte, was hit by a pitch, but two consecutive outs left the three stranded and the game remained scoreless entering the bottom of the fifth.
Swarthmore put the game-deciding run on the board in the sixth inning behind two of its seven hits in the game. John Lim led off with a walk and advanced to second on a single by Scoop Ruxin. A sacrifice bunt by Steven Matos-Torres advanced Lim and pinch runner Gregory Cox and then Roy Walker singled to center field to drive in the only run of the game.
The Garnet, however, did not struggle for offense in game two and jumped ahead to an ultimately insurmountable lead with a 10-run first inning. Wesley Fishburn, Ryan Burnett, Matt Palmer and Barnett-Mayotte all scored twice in the frame.
Fishburn began the inning with a single to center field then stole second and reached third on an error by the catcher. Two straight walks put Burnett and Lim on second and first, respectively, and a fielder’s choice brought Fishburn around. Next, Walker reached base on balls and Matos-Torres drove in three with a double to right field. Shepherd walked to put men on first and second.
Following a pitching change by St. Joseph’s, Barnett-Mayotte reached base on one of the Golden Eagles’ four errors in the first and loaded the bases. Palmer’s single brought two home and a botched pickoff scored one more. Batting for the second time in the inning, Fishburn hit an RBI-triple and forced St. Joseph’s into another pitching change. A Burnett walk and subsequent error allowed Fishburn to score and a dropped third strike gave the Garnet its 10th run of the inning.
Swarthmore scored two more runs in the next inning and took a 12-0 lead into the third. Although St. Joseph’s responded with a run of its own, the Garnet lead was too great and Miller was too strong on the mound. The sophomore improved to 2-0 on the season after striking out five and allowing only one earned run in seven innings.
3/17/15 v. Cairn — W 21-0
The Swarthmore College baseball team carried the momentum from its successful spring break trip into its home opener as the Garnet (9-2) routed Cairn (2-6) by a 21-0 score on Tuesday, March 17.
Four pitchers combined for the shutout with sophomore Brian Gibbs picking up the win after striking out eight and allowing only one hit and no walks in five innings pitched.
The team got off to a fast start as it scored a combined nine runs in the first two innings. John Lim drove in Wesley Fishburn with one of his three hits on the afternoon and came home shortly after when sophomore Steven Matos-Torres hit a two-RBI single through the right side. An error and a wild pitch allowed the Garnet to score two more runs and enter the bottom of the first with a 5-0 lead.
Four additional runs came in the second, spurred by Scoop Ruxin‘s double to center field that drove in Lim and Ryan Burnett. Two consecutive fielders’ choices allowed Ruxin and Roy Walker to score.
Although Swarthmore was held scoreless for the next four innings, the Garnet lead was safe thanks to strong pitching by Gibbs and the bullpen. The sophomore starter never faced more than four batters in a single inning and retired the side in order in both the fourth and fifth innings. Relief pitchers Jackson Ramey, Sam Alofsin, Max Kassan, and Griffin Kammerer each allowed only one hit on one inning pitched apiece.
In the seventh, Swarthmore’s offense returned to form with six runs on five hits. Two errors allowed the Garnet to score three runs before Brian Kaissi drove in Gregory Cox with an RBI-single and senior Zach Powell capped the scoring with a two-RBI double to left center.
The team scored five more runs in the eighth to bring its lead to 20-0 and added one more in the ninth to provide the final margin. Fishburn, Lim, Kaissi, and Cal Barnett-Mayotte all recorded multiple hits in the game and 12 different players crossed the plate for the Garnet.
3/18/15 v. Eastern University — W 9-7
A combined five runs in the seventh and eighth innings lifted the Swarthmore College baseball team (10-2) to a 9-7 non-conference win over Eastern University on Wednesday, March 18.
Senior Scoop Ruxin recorded five RBI on three hits while sophomore Ryan Burnett was 4-of-5 with three runs on the afternoon. Junior Nathan Booth picked up the win after striking out seven and allowing two runs in five innings and freshman Griffin Kammerer earned the first save of his collegiate career.
After allowing three runs in the first inning, the Garnet responded with two of its own in the bottom of the frame. Wesley Fishburn led off with a single and reached third after an error and stolen base. Burnett drove him in and John Lim used a single and an error by the Eastern pitcher to move into scoring position. Ruxin followed with a base hit to right field to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Eagles added two more runs in the third, but ended the inning with bases loaded as it failed to extend its three-run lead. The Garnet capitalized in the fifth and moved two runs closer after Ruxin hit a two-RBI single to score Burnett and Lim.
After a scoreless sixth inning, Booth struck out three of the five batters he faced in the seventh to keep Swarthmore’s deficit at one. In the bottom of the frame, the Garnet took their first lead of the afternoon behind another RBI from Ruxin and a two-RBI single from freshman Matt Palmer.
Eastern, however, did not go down without a fight and scored two runs on two hits in the top of the eighth to knot the game at seven runs apiece. The game did not remain tied for long as Zach Powell and Burnett scored to provide the final margin of victory. Kammerer closed the game out with a strikeout to move Swarthmore to 10-2 on the season.
Softball
3/8/15 v. Mount Mary — W 11-2
3/8/15 v. Rockford — W 10-7
Seniors Chelsea Matzko and Emma Madarasz each recorded four hits and drove in a combined five runs to lead the Swarthmore College softball team to an 11-2 victory over Mount Mary in its season opener on Sunday, March 8 at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic. The Garnet ended the day on a high note by following up with a 10-7 triumph over Rockford.
Swarthmore (2-0) got its offense started quickly in the opener against Mount Mary by plating two runs in the top of the first inning. Senior Laurie Sellers reached on an error with one out, stole second, and came home on an RBI single by Matzko. Shortly afterwards, Matzko scored from third while junior Christen Boas Hayes was gunned down attempting to steal second.
After Mount Mary (1-2) scored once in the bottom of the first, the Garnet got their bats going again in the third and regained their two-run lead. Matzko hit a leadoff double down the left field line, and sophomore Sara Planthaber belted an RBI single to score the senior slugger and make it 3-1.
Swarthmore then got all the insurance it needed in the top of the fourth to earn its first victory of the 2015 campaign. Madarasz blasted a two-run double and scored two plays later on a Matzko single down the line in left. The Garnet tacked on five more runs in the late innings to earn the convincing win.
Boas Hayes picked up the victory in the circle for Swarthmore by giving up four hits and two runs, including one earned, over four frames. She also set a career high with five strikeouts and issued only one free pass to first. Freshman Frankie Ponziani relieved Boas Hayes and hurled three shutout innings while striking out five and surrendering just one hit in her collegiate debut. Nikki Festge of Mount Mary suffered the loss after yielding nine hits and six runs, including five earned, over three innings of work.
Later in the day, Swarthmore found itself in a 6-2 hole against Rockford through three innings before coming alive in the top of the fourth. Batting with the bases loaded and two outs, Matzko reached on an error by the Regent second baseman to score freshman Emily Bowman. Boas Hayes by belted a two-run single down the line in right, and junior Clara Obstfeld followed with an RBI double to center that tied the game at 6-all. Planthaber capped the five-run inning and gave the Garnet their first lead at 7-6 by singling up the middle.
After Rockford (1-1) tied the game by plating a run in the bottom of the fourth, Swarthmore added three insurance runs in the sixth to seal the victory and an undefeated day. Planthaber hit into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded to send home the eventual winning run before Ponziani, who picked up two saves in the circle, drove in Boas Hayes on the next play. Obstfeld scored the final insurance run when freshman Emily Bowman reached on a fielder’s choice.
Freshman Mary Olesnavich won her collegiate pitching debut for Swarthmore after giving up just one hit and one run which was unearned in two frames of relief. Ponziani earned her second save of the day by throwing two scoreless innings to close out the game. Rockford’s Matisyn Brinks took the loss after yielding three hits and three runs, including one earned, over three relief innings.
3/10/15 v. Wentworth — W 10-1
3/10/15 v. Drew — L
Freshman Mary Olesnavich hurled a complete game to lead the Swarthmore College softball team to a convincing 10-1 victory over Wentworth in six innings on Tuesday, March 10 at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic. The Garnet ended the day with a 4-3 loss to Drew.
In the earlier game, Swarthmore plated at least one run in five of the six innings against the Leopards. After loading the bases in the top of the first, senior Christen Boas Hayes grounded into a fielder’s choice to plate the first Garnet run. Sophomore Sara Planthaber then grounded out to third, plating senior Chelsea Matzko, and Boas Hayes scored on a wild pitch to give Swarthmore a quick 3-0 lead.
Swarthmore plated two more runs in the top of the second. Sophomore Anna Jensen belted an RBI double to left and scored two plays later on a Laurie Sellers groundout to second. With Olesnavich in control in the circle, the Garnet tacked on one run in the fourth and the fifth frames to pull away before adding three runs in the top of the sixth. Freshman Fran Reckers chipped an RBI single to left to plate the final Garnet run, as the game was called after six due to the eight-run rule.
Olesnavich improved to a perfect 2-0 in her young collegiate career for Swarthmore by allowing only two hits and one run. She also struck out five and issued only one walk over six frames. Heather Pinkston of Wentworth (0-1) suffered the loss after getting lit up for six hits and 10 runs, including five earned, over 5.2 innings of work. She also issued seven walks.
In the second game, Drew (2-6) jumped out to a 4-0 lead by scoring once in the top of the first and three times in the third before Swarthmore attempted to rally. Matzko put the Garnet on the board by singling to center with the bases loaded and nobody out, but Ranger pitcher Amy Benedict got out of the major jam by inducing a popout and fanning the next two batters.
Swarthmore, however, did not go down without a fight and made one last valiant effort to come back in the bottom of the seventh. Reckers hit a leadoff single to the gap in right center to start the inning, and freshman Frankie Ponziani scored on a triple to center by Laurie Sellars with two outs. Sellars then came home on a wild pitch to make it a one-run game, but Benedict and the Rangers were able to escape with their second win of the day as the next Garnet batter flew out to left.
Benedict picked up the victory for Drew by going the distance in the circle. She yielded eight hits and three runs while striking out five and not issuing a walk. Boas Hayes suffered her first loss the season for Swarthmore after giving up six hits and four runs, including three earned, over 2.1 innings. Freshman Emily Bowman was impressive in 4.2 scoreless innings of relief, as she punched out six Ranger batters and allowed four hits to keep the Garnet within striking distance until the end.
3/11/15 v. Geneva — L 1-0
3/11/15 v. Wooster — L 9-3
The Swarthmore College softball team dropped a pair of afternoon games to Geneva and Wooster on Wednesday, March 11 at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic. The Garnet fell to Geneva, 1-0, and Wooster by a score of 9-3.
Swarthmore wasted no time getting its offense going in the nightcap game against Wooster by scoring three times in the bottom of the first. After senior Chelsea Matzko reached on a bunt single to load the bases with nobody out, sophomore Sara Planthaber drove in the first run on a groundout to first. Junior Clara Obstfeldfollowed with a single up the middle to score senior Emma Madarasz and double the Garnet lead, and classmate Boas Hayes hit a sacrifice fly to center to send in senior Laurie Sellars from third and make it 3-0.
Wooster (5-1), however, shook off the bad inning defensively and rallied to score four runs in the top of the second. Jenna Kendall most notably blasted a two-run homer to swing the momentum the Fighting Scots’ way. Wooster then added one run in the third and three more in the sixth to pull away, which was highlighted by a two-run double by Carly Schoenstein in the late frames.
Kate Edgehouse earned the victory for Wooster by giving up three runs which were all unearned. She punched out four Garnet hitters and did not issue a walk. Freshman Frankie Ponziani of Swarthmore suffered her first loss of the season after picking up two saves earlier this week. She yielded 15 hits and nine runs, including seven earned, while issuing one walk.
Earlier in the day, Geneva (3-2) scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Lucia Fee that plated Dayna Hicks. With Andrea Hinds in the circle, Swarthmore’s only hit came in the bottom of the fifth when Planthaber beat out a throw from short for an infield single. The sophomore stole second with two outs to move into scoring position, but Hinds induced a popup to third to end the inning.
Hinds earned the victory for Geneva by hurling a one-hit shutout. She struck out five and issued only one walk. Swarthmore freshman Emily Bowman took the loss after giving up four hits and one earned run, which was earned, over six frames. She also fanned eight.
Women’s Lacrosse
3/10/15 v. Lynchburg — L 11-5
Junior Connie Bowen made a career-high 13 saves and freshman Kathryn Restrepo netted a hat trick, but it wasn’t enough, as the Swarthmore College women’s lacrosse team dropped an 11-5 decision to Lynchburg on Tuesday, March 10.
Lynchburg (2-2) netted the first four goals, which included getting three markers in less than four minutes from Alexa Carey, and led from wire-to-wire. Senior Sara Lentricchia and Restrepo answered with consecutive strikes to cut the margin in half at 4-2 with 8:59 remaining in the first half, but that was as close as the Garnet would come the rest of the way. The Hornets used another four-goal outburst through the early stages of the second half to pull away.
Bowen made a career-high 13 saves for Swarthmore in the losing effort by turning away five shots in the first half and eight in the second. Lynchburg’s Hailey Bossert made 10 stops to pick up the victory.
Other notable Garnet performances came from juniors Tazmin Bailiff-Curtis and Christine McGinn. Bailiff-Curtis scooped up three ground balls, while each player caused two turnovers. Junior Lizzie Kolln assisted on two of the five goals, including the final marker of the game scored by senior Elizabeth Bachman.
Swarthmore (1-1) faces Rochester tomorrow afternoon in Clearwater at 1 p.m.
3/11/15 v. Rochester — L 14-10
Despite getting another hat trick from Kathryn Restrepo, the Swarthmore College women’s lacrosse team fell to Rochester by a 14-10 score on Wednesday, March 11 in Florida.
The first half featured back-and-forth action. After Rochester jumped out to a 4-2 lead, Swarthmore responded with a balanced attack by rattling off three straight markers. Junior Elizabeth Bachman set up Restrepo at 12:02, senior Sara Lentricchia netted the equalizer at 7:23 and Tierney put the Garnet ahead 5-4 with just over six minutes left. Rochester, however, netted two straight goals and took a 6-5 lead at the break.
After a tightly contested start to the second half, the Yellow Jackets won the turnover battle and started pulling away by netting three straight to take an 11-8 lead with 12:12 left on a Madeline Levy marker. Lentricchia and Restrepo each completed hat tricks, but it wasn’t enough to put the Garnet on top. Jamie Wallish’s third goal of the frame and eighth she factored into overall with 2:12 remaining sealed the 14-10 outcome.
Maire Prosak made four saves in the cage for Rochester, which only turned the ball over twice in the second half and outshot the Garnet by a 40-20 count. Junior Connie Bowen turned away 10 shots for Swarthmore.
In addition to Lentricchia and Restrepo’s hat tricks, the Garnet also got strong performances from juniors Tazmin Bailiff-Curtis and Antonia Violante. Bailiff-Curtis scooped up three ground balls and caused a turnover, while Violante won four draw controls.
3/17/15 v. Alvernia — L 17-4
Senior Sara Lentricchia and freshman Kathryn Restrepo each recorded four goals and five points to lead the Swarthmore College women’s lacrosse team to a convincing 17-4 victory over Alvernia on Tuesday, March 17 at Schlager Memorial Field.
Swarthmore (2-2) scored the first four goals and 11 of the 12 in the game and never looked back. After Julie Sutton netted the first goal for the hosts on a free position shot at the 16:57 mark, junior Lizzie Kolln set up senior Elyse Tierney for one of her four goals just 44 seconds later to ignite a seven-goal outburst for the Garnet. A Restrepo rocket on a free position made it 13-2 at the recess.
In the second half, juniors Tazmin Bailiff-Curtis, Antonia Violante, Nathalie Perry-Freer and Christine McGinn anchored a Garnet defensive effort that only yielded one goal over the final 30 minutes. Senior Elizabeth Bachman gave Swarthmore a 10-goal cushion at 23:20 by finishing a pass from Kolln to open the scoring after the break before Lentricchia capped the scoring with a strike at the 7:07 mark. Sutton ended a goal-scoring drought that lasted nearly 34 minutes by converting a free position shot to seal the final outcome.
Junior Connie Bowen picked up the victory for Swarthmore by making seven saves, including five in the second half, while Alvernia’s Colleen Reilly was charged with the loss after turning away four shots in just over 33 minutes of action. Swarthmore outshot Alvernia 28-18 and had a 13-9 advantage in draw controls, while Alvernia (1-2) finished with a 13-12 edge in ground balls.
3/11/15 v. Gordon — W 16-8
Seniors Ian Lukaszewicz and Andrew Preiser each factored into five goals to propel the Swarthmore College men’s lacrosse team to a 16-8 victory over Gordon on Wednesday, March 11 at Great Park.
After Gordon (3-4) scored the game’s first goal just one minute into the game, Swarthmore answered back with eight straight to take a commanding 8-1 lead at the break. The Garnet added four more goals in the third and led 12-3 heading into the final quarter, giving themselves more than enough insurance to pull out their third straight win.
Seniors Ian Lukaszewicz and Andrew Preiser as well as freshman Cam Marsh paced the Swarthmore offensive attack with five points apiece, while Lukaszewicz and Marsh found the back of the net four times. Darrel Hunter, a senior co-captain, caused four turnovers and scooped up three ground balls on the defensive end.
Brothers Michael and Ryan Utz paced Gordon by combining for five goals. Owenn Geis picked up a game-high six ground balls.
Sophomore Cole Fox picked up the victory between the pipes for Swarthmore (3-1) by making a career-high 16 saves, while Cody Greenwald of Gordon was charged with the loss after turning away only five shots through the first three quarters.
3/14/15 v. Whittier — W 13-12
Freshman Matt Johnson scored two clutch goals and sophomore Cole Fox turned away 15 shots to lead the Swarthmore College men’s lacrosse team to a 13-12 triumph over Whittier on Friday, March 13 at Memorial Stadium. The Garnet extended their winning streak to four straight games with the victory.
The game came down to the wire, as Whittier (2-1) erased a five-goal deficit in the fourth quarter by scoring four straight to pull within one down the stretch. Trailing 12-11 with under a minute left, Matt Symes attempted to net his fourth goal of the quarter by unleashing a shot at Fox. The sophomore, however, came up with arguably the biggest save of his career with just under a minute let and Johnson scored at the other end just 13 seconds later to make it a two-goal game.
Despite the setback, Whittier was able to find the back of the net with eight seconds left and won the ensuing faceoff to give itself an opportunity to score and force overtime. A clean pass was made by Aaron Self for what would have been a good look against Fox, but his receiver missed the ball to allow the Garnet to escape with their fourth straight win.
After a quiet first quarter offensively, Swathmore outscored the hosts 7-2 in the second frame to take control. Junior Will Black and senior Ian Lukaszewicz each found the back of the net twice to spear the offense and give the Garnet an 8-3 advantage at the recess.
The teams played an even third quarter and exchanged goals to start the fourth, which included another Lukaszewicz laser to the back of the net off a feed from Stephen Ducey to make it 11-6 with 12:07 left. But Whittier stormed back with five straight unassisted goals over a span of 6:43, setting up the wild and exciting finish. Fox ended up making three clutch saves down the stretch, as the Garnet won for the fourth straight time since recording consecutive victories over Randolph-Macon, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, St. Mary’s and New England College between March 1 and 15 during the 2008 campaign.
Whittier narrowly outshot Swarthmore 38-35 and had a slight 15-14 advantage on faceoffs. Ground balls were even at 31 apiece, and both teams recorded a man-up goal. Fox made 15 saves to improve his record to a perfect 3-0 this season for Swarthmore, while Whittier’s Alex Cramer made six stops and was charged with the loss before being replaced in the third quarter by Tyler Coleman.
Women’s Tennis
3/8/15 v. Westminster — W 8-1
The Swarthmore College women’s tennis team opened its spring break with an 8-1 victory over Westminster College (Pa.) on Sunday, March 8. Four Swarthmore players were double winners on the day.
Sophomore Alli Wong and freshman Maria Cuervo opened the match with an 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles over Mariah Turiano and Gabby Eaborn. The No. 2 team of junior Jackie Lane and freshman Anna Scheibmeir followed, defeating Sydney Sterner and Lauren Fling by a score of 8-4.Freshmen Ashley Gao and Rachel Bronkema completed the doubles sweep and overcame Maria Pallone and Stephanie Homitz at No. 3, 8-6.
In singles play, Wong, Scheibmeir, Cuervo, and Gao all went on to claim their second wins. Wong defeated Sterner at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 6-3, while Scheibmeir outplayed Turiano at No. 2, 6-3, 6-2.
Cuervo secured her match at No. 3, 6-3, 6-1, and Gao won easily at No. 5, 6-1, 6-1. Freshman Sophia Schuster rounded out the lineup with a 6-3, 7-6(3) victory at No. 6.
3/9/15 v. Randolph — W 6-3
The Swarthmore College women’s tennis team won its third straight match with a 6-3 victory over Randolph College on Monday, March 9.
Sophomore Alli Wong, freshmen Maria Cuervo and Ashley Gao were all double winners on the day. Wong and Cuervo first teamed up at No. 1 doubles to defeat Dina Velazco and Jenna Sweet by a score of 8-2. Freshman Ashley Gao and classmate Rachel Bronkema blanked Danielle Lewis and Tiandre Forde at No. 3, 8-0.
Wong earned a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 1 singles over Sarah Parker, while Cuervo dominated Heather Parra, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 3. Gao earned her second victory, beating Lewis 6-0, 6-2 at No. 5. Junior Abby Schmidt shut out Forde at No. 6 singles, 6-0, 6-0.
3/11/15 v. Albion — W 9-0
The Swarthmore College women’s tennis team concluded its spring break campaign with a 9-0 win against Albion College on Wednesday, March 11. All nine players contributed to the sweep.
Sophomore Alli Wong and freshman Maria Cuervo earned the first point of the match at No. 1 doubles, defeating Irene Chen and Margaux Kabodian, 8-5. The No. 2 team of junior Jackie Lane and freshman Anna Scheibmeir won 8-6 over Lauren Rasmussen and Olivia Conover, while freshmen May Dong and Sophia Schusterfinished doubles play, prevailing over Rachel Barry and Jessica Scott by a score of 8-1 at No. 3.
Domination by the Garnet continued into singles competition, with Wong and Cuervo winning their matches at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, both by scores of 6-0, 6-1. Freshman Ashley Gao defeated Conover at No. 4, 6-1, 6-3, as classmate Rachel Bronkema took No. 5 singles, 6-0, 6-1.
At No. 6, Junior Abby Schmidt beat Scott 6-1, 6-0. Freshman Anna Scheibmeir closed out the match when she edged out Chen at the No. 1 spot, 1-6, 6-4, 10-6.
Men’s Tennis
3/7/15 v. Stevens — L 6-3
The 27th-ranked Swarthmore College men’s tennis team (2-1) dropped its first home match with a 6-3 loss against #31 Stevens Institute of Technology (3-2) on Saturday, March 7.
The Garnet notched one doubles win, with sophomore John Larkin and freshman Blake Oetting defeating Kyle Henry and Antonio Perich in a convincing 8-1 victory at No. 3 doubles. Stevens won at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles as Swarthmore trailed 1-2 going into singles competition.
Freshman Mark Fallati edged out Stevens’ Ben Foran at No. 2 singles by a score of 7-5, 7-5, while fellow freshman Michael Song soundly defeated Kyle Henry 6-1, 6-1, at No. 6 singles. Against No.1 singles competitor Matt Heinrich, Larkin picked up the first set, but was overcome in the next two sets and lost by a score of 6-3, 4-6, 2-6. It was his first loss of the spring season.
3/9/15 v. Washington and Lee — W 7-2
The 27th-ranked Swarthmore College men’s tennis team (3-1) overcame #37 Washington and Lee University (6-2) by a score of 7-2 on Monday, March 9, as the Garnet recorded their third win of the season and second against a nationally-ranked opponent.
The match started off slowly for Swarthmore, with the No. 3 doubles team of freshman Josh Powell and senior Harrison Lands defeating Washington and Lee’s Joe Siami and Brian Krouskos by a score of 8-6 to earn the Garnet’s only doubles victory.
Swarthmore shrugged off the slow start, however, and then went on to sweep singles play. No. 2 singles freshman Mark Fallati dropped a close second set, but fought back in the third set to prevail over Jordan Krasner with a final score of 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4. Freshman Ari Cepelewicz, playing at No. 3, also came surging back from a defeat in the second set, winning his match by a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.
Freshmen Blake Oetting, Michael Song, Josh Powell decisively won their singles matches at No. 4, 5, and 6 singles, respectively. Sophomore John Larkin won at first singles after his opponent retired in the first set.
3/17/15 v. CMS — L 9-0
Facing its fifth nationally-ranked opponent in as many matches, the 30th-ranked Swarthmore College men’s tennis team (3-3) was swept 9-0 by No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Tuesday, March 17.
The Stags of CMS did not drop a set in singles competition to remain undefeated at 9-0. The No. 2 doubles team of freshmen Mark Fallati and Ari Cepelewicz nearly pulled off the win, but ultimately fell 8-6. In the first singles flight, sophomore John Larkin narrowly lost the first set at 7-5 and fell 6-2 in the deciding set.
Swarthmore looks to bounce back on Thursday, March 19 at 4 p.m. when it hosts Ursinus in the Centennial Conference opener for both squads.
The above recaps were provided to The Daily Gazette by the Swarthmore Athletics Communications Office.
