COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Well worth the wait.
Almost three weeks after having the second half of its doubleheader with Swarthmore suspended due to darkness, the Ursinus College softball team used some two-out magic to eke out a 4-3 decision in the resumption of the contest on Sunday, locking down the No. 3 seed in the Centennial Conference tournament.
The Bears (20-17-1, 10-6) had already clinched their first playoff appearance since 2012 with a split at McDaniel the previous day, but found themselves tied with the Garnet for third place in the standings and needing to finish the contest that originally began April 9. With the come-from-behind victory, Ursinus officially nailed down the No. 3 seed in the tournament and will travel to No. 2 Dickinson for the first round on Tuesday. Top seed Haverford will host fourth-seeded Swarthmore in the other opening matchup.
Swarthmore (21-13, 9-7) led 3-1 in the original meeting, but was unable to put the game away before darkness fell on Snell Field with the home side threatening with runners on first and second and no outs. That's where the sides picked up, and it took Ursinus all of a few minutes to flip the script.
After the first two batters went down on pop-outs, senior Kayla Quinn ripped a line drive through the brisk air and over the head of the right fielder, rolling all the way to the wall as she strolled into third with a game-tying triple. Sophomore Morgan Comfort then rolled a slow grounder to the shortstop, who had to hurry the throw with Comfort hustling down the line. The toss short-hopped first base and rolled away, allowing Comfort to reach safely and Quinn to dash home with the go-ahead run.
Freshman Kayla McTamney came on in the sixth and retired all six Garnet she faced to record her second save of the season. Comfort, who pitched the first five innings in the original game, was credited with her fifth win of the year.
Quinn officially went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while senior Sammi Donato was 2-for-3 with two runs.
Ursinus now prepares for a first-round clash with Dickinson, which swept the regular-season series, albeit by tight 5-3 and 2-1 finals.