LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall jumped ahead early and never looked back, capping off the season sweep of Ursinus with a 10-2 drubbing on Monday afternoon in Centennial Conference (CC) baseball action. The Diplomats have now won four out of their last five games and improved to 17-7, 6-4 CC with the win, while the Bears fell to 14-9, 4-6 CC.

Ursinus threatened early, loading the bases with one out in the top of the first, before a perfectly turned 6-4-3 double play got starting pitcher Mack Glavin out a jam. F&M seized the momentum in the bottom of the second, opening the frame with four straight hits, including three consecutive extra-base knocks. 

After Iacobucci began the offensive onslaught with a single to left, Luke Seib registered an RBI triple, before back-to-back RBI doubles from Mike Smeriglio and Brian Erb made it a 3-0 game. Zach Levins extended the lead to four later in the frame, lying down a bunt single to third and scoring Erb. 

Smeriglio continued his solid day at the plate in the third, plating Iacobucci off an RBI double to right center with two outs. The Diplomats blew the game open in the fifth, tallying five runs off five hits. Smeriglio was at it again, singling home a pair of runs with two outs on the board, before a Reed Williams RBI double wrapped up the scoring in the frame.

The Bears recorded two runs off a pair of hits in the top of the sixth, but F&M's bullpen shutdown the Ursinus offense for the remainder of the contest en route to the eight-run win. 

Smeriglio led the attack with a 3-for-4 effort, tallying four RBIs and crossing the plate twice. Erb also went 3-for-4, adding an RBI and two runs scored. Seib and Iacobucci both tallied 2-for-4 lines to go along with a pair of runs scored each. The Diplomats combined for 14 hits and stranded just five base runners on the afternoon. 

Glavin (4-1) earned the win, striking out two while not being charged an earned run in five innings of work. Reliever's Gareth Fancher, Dan Marano, Thomas Kelly and Luke Bengel each pitched a scoreless inning to close out the contest. The Bears' Billie Buckwalter (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing four earned off six hits in just two innings of work. 

F&M continues CC competition tomorrow, when the Diplomats welcome Washington to Caplan Field for a 3:30 p.m. matchup.