Rolewicz Records 100th Career Hit; Wilcox Homers

SWARTHMORE, PA – Host Swarthmore held off a rally from visiting Washington College to record an 8-6 win on Wednesday afternoon at Clothier Field in Centennial Conference baseball action.  The Garnet improve to 13-8 overall and 4-3 in conference play, while the Shoremen fall to 13-10 overall and 4-3 respectively.

Swarthmore held an 8-1 lead entering the top of the ninth, but the Shoremen scored five times and had the go ahead run at the plate before the rally was ended.  Junior Dwight Wilcox (Annapolis, MD/St. Mary's) launched his first WC home run to left to cut the lead to 8-2.  Freshman Nick Marinelli (Ellicott City, MD/Marriotts Ridge) hit a sacrifice fly to left to score sophomore Ryan Mulhearn (Nazareth, PA/Nazareth Area) and the lead was down to five runs.  Normoyle singled to right to deliver freshman Jon Mahaffey (Sykesville, MD/Century) to the plate and the lead was 8-4 Swarthmore.  Sean Connole (Mt. Airy, MD/St. John's Catholic) scored on a balk to reduce the Garnet cushion to 8-5.  Normoyle would score on a fielder's choice to trim the Swarthmore lead to 8-6, but runners were on first base and third base and Wilcox at the plate as the go ahead run.  Wilcox flied out to centerfield though to end the ballgame.

Swarthmore scored three times in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead on an RBI double to right-center off the bat of Michael Cameron and a two-run two-bagger by Spencer Ross.

Ben Schneiderman made it 4-0 when he hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Matt Lamb pushed the Garnet lead to 5-0 on a single to right field. 

Washington finally got on the board in the top of the sixth with a run.  Junior John Rolewicz (Bear, DE/Salesianum) singled down the left-field line for his 100th hit at WC.  He is the second Shoreman to do it this year, joining junior Ryan Normoyle (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) who accomplished the feat on March 7 at Stevenson.  He would score on a double play to cut the Garnet lead to 5-1.

Swarthmore scored once in the bottom of the seventh on a double down the right field line by Lamb and twice in the last half of the eighth to extend their lead to 8-1.  Swarthmore scored on a double play ball and an RBI single to left field by Ross in the eighth.  The Garnet would take a seven-run lead into the ninth inning.

For the Garnet, Lamb and Waterhouse both went 3-for-4 with Lamb driving in two and Waterhouse scoring three times.  Ross and Rory McTear both went 2-for-4 with Ross driving in three and McTear crossing the plate twice.  Schneiderman also went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.  On the mound, Zach Weiner got the win and is now 4-1 on the year.  He went seven innings, allowing just one earned run.  James Bernard got the final two outs for Swarthmore for his first save.

For the Shoremen, Nomoyle, Wilcox and Mahaffey all had two hits in the game.  Pitching wise, sophomore Joe Kearney-Argow (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) took the loss and drops to 2-2 on the year.

Washington hosts Swarthmore on Friday afternoon for a 3:30 p.m. Centennial Conference baseball game to complete the home-and-home series.