The Muhlenberg baseball team picked up a key Centennial Conference victory by a score of 8-5 over Swarthmore.
 
The win exacted revenge for the Mules (13-13, 3-5 CC) over the Garnet (10-18, 3-5 CC), who shut the Mules out at home earlier in the week, and provided a series split for the season between the two CC schools. The victory also places Muhlenberg only a game and a half back of fifth place in the standings, where Haverford and Franklin & Marshall are tied at 4-3-1 after winning their games today as well.
 
Returning to Cedarcreek Field proved better against Swarthmore for the Mule hitters, who smashed 13 hits and scored in five of eight innings at the plate. Junior Eric Reitmeyer (pictured above) led the offensive outburst with a 4-for-4 day at the plate, tying his career high for hits in a game. Senior John Icaza went 3-for-4 while driving in two runs and scoring two more, and senior Robbie Hopes finished with two hits as well.
 
Icaza got the offense going right away with a leadoff triple in the first inning, and sophomore Chris Grillo brought him home on a sacrifice fly to give Muhlenberg the early lead. The Garnet answered with a run in the third, but the Mules loaded the bases in the fourth with a hit-by-pitch, a Reitmeyer single and a walk. Icaza then drew a walk himself to bring home freshman John Serruto and put Muhlenberg back up 2-1.
 
Swarthmore tied it again in the next half inning. Hopes then led off the bottom of the fifth for the Mules by drilling a first-pitch fastball over the left field fence for his third home run of the season, making it 3-2.
 
Singles by Icaza and sophomore Matt Riebesell brought home three more Muhlenberg runs in the bottom of the sixth. The Garnet tallied another run in the seventh, but the Mules answered right back with freshman Brenden Weiss recording his second RBI of the season with a single up the middle and Grillo following two batters later with an RBI single, putting his team up 8-3.
 
The Garnet rallied for two more runs in the eighth, but sophomore RJ Hennessey held the Garnet in check in the ninth to preserve the victory.
 
Junior Timmy Pilrun pitched his longest outing of the season and earned his second victory. He allowed 10 hits and three runs while walking one over seven innings of work, striking out two batters.
 
Muhlenberg has now had 11 games with at least 10 hits and is 9-2 this season when reaching the 10-hit mark in a game.