Bryan Henrick pitched his best game of the season while his
teammates provided the run support in Haverford College's 9-1
victory over Washington College on Sunday afternoon in the 2012
Centennial Conference tournament championship game at Johns Hopkins
University Baseball Field.
Sunday's victory by second-seeded Haverford (24-17) capped an
unbeaten run through the conference playoffs which included a
Friday win over third-seed Washington (28-12) and a Saturday
triumph over host and top seed Johns Hopkins.
The Centennial title, Haverford's first in baseball, carries with
it the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The Fords will
travel to one of eight regional tournaments which begin on May
16.
Henrick (3-5) saved his best for last allowing a single run on
seven hits and two walks and one strikeout in seven strong innings
of work. Closer Mike Bozzi took over from his fellow senior to
start the eighth and limited the Shoremen to two hits and a walk
while fanning a pair.
The offensive noise came from the top to the bottom of the order
for the Fords who averaged seven runs per game in their march
toward the championship.
Nick Miranda continued to provide a spark at the top of the order.
The center fielder led off the game by getting hit by Washington
starting pitcher Brian Lewis. Miranda eventually came around to
score on a ground-out double-play ball.
The only other runs Henrick would need came in the second when the
Fords pieced together four runs. Casey Fox, Matt Liscovitz and
Justin Coulter singled and scored in the inning, and William
Bannard drew a walk which later turned into a run followed by
another marker by Miranda who reached first after getting hit for
the second straight at-bat. Miranda picked up an RBI with his bases
loaded at-bat and Coulter registered two with his bases loaded
single through the left side.
Haverford added runs in the sixth and seventh but the early runs
were good enough for Henrick who got out of early jams twice with
double-plays before teaming with Bozzi to allow Washington to push
base runners into scoring position only five other times over the
final five innings.
The Fords out hit Washington only 10-9 but patience at the plate
resulted in five walks and four more base runners by hit
batsmen.
Chaplin and Fox had a pair of hits apiece for Haverford, with
Chaplin and Coulter each registering two RBIs. Miranda, Fox and
Liscovitz scored twice for the Fords.
Lewis (3-2), one of seven Washington pitchers used in the game,
took the loss lasting just 1.2 innings while allowing five runs off
of two hits, three walks, a wild pitch and a pair of hit
batters.
The championship ended Johns Hopkins' five-year run wearing the
crown while giving Haverford head coach Dave Beccaria, a Hopkins
graduate, his first.
"I couldn't be more proud of these guys," said Beccaria after the
championship trophy presentation. "We were a young group this year,
and battling several injuries during the season meant our staff had
to ask a lot of guys to change their roles within our team
structure. This championship proved to be a total team effort and I
know that every one of our guys feels like they were part of
earning this title."
The win over the Shoremen in the championship game also ended up
giving the Fords a season sweep of Washington, winning all four
games by a combined 52-23 margin.
The Division III regionals are double-elimination tournaments with
the eight region winners advancing to the NCAA D-III World Series
on May 25-29 at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis.
May 6, 2012
Haverford wears Centenial crown
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