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Box Score 2 CARLISLE, Pa. – Isabel Schaefer guided the Franklin & Marshall softball team to a sweep of Dickinson of Saturday afternoon in Centennial Conference (CC) action. The Diplomats downed the Red Devils 3-0 in game one before blanking Dickinson 1-0 in the nightcap to complete the sweep.
F&M (19-9, 8-6 CC) will need to sweep Muhlenberg next Saturday to earn the fourth and final CC playoff spot. The Red Devils' record now sits at 15-16, 4-12 CC.
In the first game, Dickinson's Nicole Clayton broke a 0-0 tie in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI-single that scored Casey Ditzler to give the Red Devils a 1-0 advantage. The Diplomats answered and tied the game in the top of the fifth when Crystal Good reached on singled to scored Karly Newcomb and knot the game at 1-1.
In the top of the sixth, Samantha Burns put F&M on top with one swing of the bat when the freshman crushed a homerun for a 2-1 lead. Kathleen Zogorski added an RBI-single in the inning for insurance, as Schaefer shut down the Red Devils' offense in the final two frames to give the Diplomats the 3-1 win.
Schaefer tossed a complete game, giving up no earned runs while striking out seven batters. Zogorski finished game one with a 2-for-3 mark at the plate.
Dickinson's Emily Rosenberg (9-7) suffered the loss as she threw seven innings while giving up two earned runs with nine strikeouts.
The nightcap was a pitchers' duel, as the only run of the contest came when Newcomb doubled home Megan Ryan in the top of the fourth. Schaefer kept Dickinson's offense scoreless the entire game en route to the 1-0 shutout.
Schaefer (10-7) gave up only five hits in the shutout, while striking out three batters. The freshman now has 99 strikeouts on the season, which is good for the F&M record for most strikeouts in a season, held previously by Bonnie Crouthamel in 2006 with 98. Melissa Bollmeyer finished game two with two hits, while Newcomb also had two.
For the Red Devils, Ditzler had two hits while Nicole Clayton (5-7) took the loss, throwing seven innings while allowing one run and seven hits.
The Diplomats return to action tomorrow when F&M plays host to Penn St.-Abington at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. at Baker Campus Field.
