LANCASTER, Pa. – A four-run first inning provided all the run support Franklin & Marshall ended up needing in a 7-2 win against York on Tuesday afternoon at Caplan Field. The contest served as the annual Go4theGoal game for the Diplomats, who improved to 8-10 with the win while the Spartans fell to 7-16-1. 

Jimmy Whelan began the bottom of the first with a double down the right field line before Casey Bulik hit a bunt single that placed runners on the corners without any outs on the board. York failed to handle a Mike Smeriglio sacrifice bunt in the next at-bat that plated Whelan while Matt Mezansky followed with an RBI double down the right-field line to make it 2-0. 

The scoring barrage continued later in the frame with a two-out RBI double from Luke Seib that sent Mezansky and Smeriglio home to push the F&M advantage to four. 

A failed run down play with Bulik on first in the bottom of the second allowed Whelan to sneak home from third and extended the lead to 5-0 while a Seib RBI double and Christopher Vincent sacrifice fly in the third made it a 7-0 game. 

York tallied a pair in the seventh of runs to cut into the deficit but failed to threaten from that point on. 

Starting pitcher Mack Glavin (1-1) was solid throughout, tossing seven innings, allowing two earned off five hits and striking out a pair. His counterpart Matt Goodman (0-5) was charged with the loss after surrendering five earned and striking out three in three innings on the mound. 

Seib paced the offense with a 2-for-4 effort that included a pair of doubles to go along with three RBIs and a run scored while Bulik also went 2-for-4 with a run scored. F&M outhit York by an 8-6 margin while also drawing four walks on the afternoon and stealing four bases.

Leading up to the game, the Diplomats raised money and awareness for the Go4theGoal Foundation's Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer campaign. The Diplomats sported gold shoelaces during the contest and wore special Go4theGoal t-shirts during warmups. So far, the program has raised $5,215, and donations can still be made at donate.go4thegoal.org/fandmbaseball. 

F&M continues its non-conference slate tomorrow when the Diplomats host Drew at 4:00 p.m.