LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall's baseball team dropped both games of Sunday afternoon's Centennial Conference (CC) doubleheader against McDaniel at Caplan Field, suffering an 11-0 shutout in the opening contest before falling just short in a 3-1 loss in the nightcap. The Diplomats' record now sits at 10-12, 2-3 CC, while the Green Terror improved to 9-12, 3-3 CC. 

McDaniel's starter Zach Kronick (2-0) gave F&M's offense fits, with the sophomore righthander tossing a complete-game shutout and allowing seven hits while striking out four.

A pair of hits in the top half of the first, a double to right center followed by a single up the middle, plated two runs for the Green Terror. Two more runs followed in the top of the third off two hits and an error by F&M's infield to give McDaniel a 4-0 advantage. 

The Diplomats threatened in the bottom half of the frame when a Rob Anderson single with two outs advanced Joe Gallitto to third, however F&M was retired when its next batter flied out to center. 

An RBI double to left center in the top of the fifth tacked on another run for McDaniel, before the Green Terror broke the game wide open with a four-run sixth inning off three hits, to make it a 9-0 game. 

Starter Eric Bateman (1-2) was charged with the loss for the Diplomats, throwing three innings on the mound and allowing two earned off five hits. Anderson was the only F&M batter to record multiple hits (2-for-3), while David Iacobucci, Brian Erb, Luke Seib, Gallitto and Casey Bulik collected the rest of F&M's seven hits in the contest. 

First baseman Marshall Betts led the way for McDaniel's offense, putting together a 3-for-6 line to go along with two RBIs and a run scored. 

Alex Guerra took the mound for the Diplomats in the nightcap and stymied the Green Terror's batters through the opening two innings, putting the first six hitters down in order. F&M's senior righthander ran into trouble in the third when the leadoff batter reached first on a walk. 

A sacrifice bunt moved the runner over to second before a single to right field sent him home and made it 1-0 in favor of McDaniel. Neither team generated much offense through the next three innings, before an RBI double in the top of the sixth scored a runner from first, followed by a sacrifice fly RBI in the seventh, gave the Green Terror a 3-0 advantage. 

F&M's offense showed life in the bottom of the eighth when Will Benenson was hit by a pitch to reach first and Iacobucci advanced him to second with a single to left field with one out on the board. 

The Diplomats next batter went down swinging, but Matt Mezansky ended F&M's scoring drought with a single to center field, scoring Benenson from second and cutting the deficit to two. However, a groundout to second in the next at bat ended the threat.

Guerra (3-2) was dealt the loss after tossing all nine innings and allowing just three earned off seven hits, while his counterpart Andrew Monger (3-3) earned the victory by going eight innings and striking out five.

F&M outhit McDaniel at 9-7 in the contest, led by a 3-for-5 effort from leadoff hitter Anderson. Seib also collected multiple hits in the game with a 2-for-3 showing. The Diplomats stranded nine base runners in the contest, while the Green Terror stranded six. 

Designated hitter Marty Windisch led McDaniel's offense with a 2-for-4 line and one RBI. 

F&M returns to the diamond tomorrow against Gettysburg. The contest at Caplan Field is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.