Diplomats Split Centennial Conference Baseball Doubleheader at Muhlenberg

ALLENTOWN, PA -- The Franklin & Marshall College baseball defeated Muhlenberg 13-5, but fell 4-3 to split the team's first Centennial Conference doubleheader of the season.

In game one, Muhlenberg jumped on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Pete Oris doubled down the left field line to plate two runs off F&M starter John Walsh (Sr., Havertown, PA/Haverford).

Franklin & Marshall answered back in the top of the fourth inning as Corey Caruthers (So., Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) led the inning off with a walk and scored to cut the deficit to 2-1 when Gordie Eck (Sr., Columbia, PA/Lancaster Catholic) doubled down the left field line.

The Mules tacked on two runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-1 lead after four complete innings and set up an F&M comeback attempt.

In the top of the ninth inning, Caruthers walked to put a runner-on-base before Dan Hanecak (So., Conestoga, PA/Lancaster Catholic) walked to put runners on first and second. Eric Milavsky (So., Medord, NJ/Shawnee) doubled to center field to score both runners, but the rally came to a close as Brian LaRochelle got Chris Smith (So., Fairfax Station, VA/Robinson) to pop up and Rob Georgiou (Sr., Tappan, NY/Bergen Catholic) lined out to center as Muhlenberg escaped with the one run win.

On the mound, Walsh threw four innings allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits with one strikeout and no walks. Reliever Pete Maki (Sr., Woodbury, CT/Noonewaug) pitched the final two innings striking out one while not allowing a walk, hit or run.

Offensively for the Diplomats Dan Weber (Sr., Reading, PA/Governor Mifflin) and Milavsky each went two-for-three to pace F&M at the plate.

In game two, Muhlenberg jumped out to another 2-0 lead after one complete inning. The Diplomats answered scoring a run in the top of the second as Caruthers drove a sacrifice fly to deep center field to plate Gary Kruger (So., East Islip, NY/East Islip) after he tripled to cut the lead to 2-1.

Following a 1-2-3 inning, the Diplomats exploded for six runs on seven hits including three doubles in the top of the third to clinch the win. F&M added another six runs over the next four innings to roll to the 13-5 rout.

On the hill, starting pitcher Ted Serro (So., Brooklyn, NY/Xavier) threw seven complete innings giving up five runs (three earned) while striking out seven and not allowing a walk.

At the plate, Smith was three-for-five with two runs scored, Georgiou went four-for-five with four runs scored and an RBI, Weber was four-for-four with an RBI and Kruger was four-for-four with two runs scored and three RBI.

Franklin & Marshall (11-7, 3-1 Centennial Conference) will return to action on Sunday, March 28 when they play host to New Jersey Athletic Conference foe William Paterson College at Caplan Field. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.

GAME ONE
Franklin & Marshall 0-0-0 1-0-2-0 -- 3-8-1
Muhlenberg 2-0-0 2-0-0-x -- 4-9-1
E - F&M - Smith, MC - Regensburg, DP F&M - 1; LOB F&M - 10, MC - 6; 2B F&M - Weber, Eck, Milavsky, MC - Long, Oris; HBP F&M - Weber, MC - Sassaman; SH MC - Geaney, Lehmann, SB - F&M - Kruger, Caruthers, MC - Kessler. CS - F&M - Welk

GAME TWO
Franklin & Marshall 0-1-6 1-0-2-3 -- 13-21-3
Muhlenberg 2-0-0 0-1-0-2 -- 5-9-3
E - F&M - Smith, Eck, Hanecak, MC- Regensburg, Tobia, Sassaman. LOB F&M 9, MC - 6; 2B F&M - Kruger, Eck, Hanecak 2, MC - Long; 3B F&M - Kruger, SF - F&M - Caruthers. SB - F&M - Kruger 2, MC - Sassaman