Baseball Game Preview: Springfield Cougars vs. Haverford Fords

The Springfield Cougars will venture away from home to take on the Haverford Fords at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

While Springfield's victory against Upper Darby wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cougars had just enough and edged out the Royals 3-1. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Cougars as it put an end to their six-game losing streak.

Denny Monastra

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/09/25 vs Upper Darby	6
04/03/25 @ Kennett	3
03/26/25 vs Strath Haven	3
04/10/24 vs Radnor	3
03/19/25 @ Marple Newtown	1

Springfield got a great performance from Denny Monastra as he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and not a single walk). Those six strikeouts gave Monastra a new career-high.

At the plate, Springfield's victory was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Sean O'Reilly, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI. That RBI was O'Reilly's first of the season.

Meanwhile, Haverford entered their tilt with Penncrest on Wednesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They walked away with a 7-2 win over the Lions.

Gavin McClafferty tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Shane Durkan, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4. Another player making a difference was Ryan Cassidy, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.

Springfield's victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-5 and their overall record up to 2-6. As for Haverford, their record is now 10-1.

Springfield suffered a grim 9-0 defeat to Haverford in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.