Moving Day

For the non-golfers in the crowd ... it's Masters Week. Some call it the Tiger Woods Invitational, but that's for another time. Traditionally, the third round of any major golf tournament is referred to by the players as "Moving Day." The third round is the one where the contenders "make their move" to the front of the leaderboard to position themselves for the final round. On this second weekend in April, the term "Moving Day" is appropriate around the Centennial as well, as the featured games may well determine who is still playing in May ... and who is sitting at home.

Johns Hopkins at Franklin & Marshall (Baseball)
The Blue Jays (5-3, 13-10) and the Diplomats (7-2, 14-9-1) have combined to win the last eight Centennial championships on the diamond. So needless to say, this is one of the highlight doubleheaders on the spring calendar. Hopkins (.366) and F&M (.348) are 1-2 in the Conference in hitting, but the Dips' pitching has stepped up during CC play with a team ERA of 1.89 as opposed to JHU's 4.92.

Muhlenberg at McDaniel (Men's Lacrosse)
Rarely does a fourth loss in Conference play get you a spot in the four-team Centennial tournament. That sets the stage for a possible elimination game between the Mules (3-3, 3-6) and the Green Terror (1-3, 7-4) Saturday in Westminster. Muhlenberg is on a three-game win streak and has won the last two meetings with the Green Terror. McDaniel's Gibbs Preston (26) and Mike Hatton (21) are 2-3 in the CC in goals per game, while 'Berg keeper Mike Horowitz has a 60.3 save percentage.

Ursinus at Dickinson (Women's Lacrosse)
McDaniel at Haverford (Women's Lacrosse)
It's the next-to-last weekend of Centennial play and the four teams tied for fourth place in the Conference meet in games that will impact the playoff picture. The Bears (3-3, 4-9) travel to Carlisle to meet the Red Devils (3-3, 7-6) in a match between teams headed in opposite directions, as UC has won three of its last four while Dickinson has dropped three in a row. The Devils have won the last three games with Ursinus to cut into a 12-3 series deficit. The Green Terror (3-3, 7-6) and the Fords (3-3, 9-4) pit explosive offenses against defenses that have struggled recently. McDaniel's Brittany Baer (pictured) leads all Centennial players with 61 goals while Lindsey McDonald has dealt out 31 assists. Josie Ferri (35 goals) and Jen Schmidt (28) make a potent 1-2 combo for Haverford. The Terror has won seven straight in the series.

Muhlenberg at Haverford (Softball)
The Mules (8-2, 14-11) and the Fords (8-2, 15-9) are tied for second in the Conference, two games behind front-running Ursinus. The twinbill features four of the CC's top pitchers - Lisa Karmel and Becky Garibotto (4-0, 0.56 ERA in CC) for the Fords, and Ashley Brewer (5-1, 1.39) and Alyssa Bruckner for the Mules. Haverford's Natalie Richman leads the Centennial with 18 RBI in CC games, while Muhlenberg's RiRi Ferrigno shares the HR lead with three.