HAVERFORD, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall returned to Centennial Conference (CC) competition on Saturday afternoon by taking on Haverford for a pair of games, losing the first contest 5-0 before winning the second 10-1. The Diplomats moved to 14-12, 2-6 CC following the split, while the Fords are now 14-16, 5-5 CC.

Game one remained scoreless into the fourth inning, despite F&M advancing runners into scoring position in both the second and third frames. The Fords ultimately struck first, scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-0 lead.

A leadoff single from Kelly Van O'Linda gave F&M a runner with zero outs in the fifth, but the Diplomats were unable to capitalize. Haverford pitcher Kendall Chambers held F&M at bay in the remaining innings, surrendering only one more hit.

The Fords took firm control in the bottom of the sixth, plating three to take the score to its final tally, 5-0.

Katie Wenger (7-5) took the loss for F&M, giving up seven hits and four earned runs in six innings of work. Chambers (4-2) held the Diplomats to just five total hits as she claimed the shutout.

Samantha Clemens went 2-for-4 to pace the F&M offense in the first contest.

Haverford looked set to grab the momentum in the second game of the day, manufacturing a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 edge. However, Diplomat starter Isabel Schaefer rebounded and shut the Fords out the rest of the way en route to the 10-1 victory.

The F&M bats got going in the fourth, as the Diplomats scored twice to retake the lead, 2-1. Van O'Linda led off with a single, followed by a double from Taylor Long. Both runners eventually scored as F&M regained the momentum.

The Diplomats continued to roll in the fifth, combining two hits with three Ford errors to push four more across the plate and take a 6-1 advantage. Long recorded an RBI single in the inning.

F&M put the game out of reach in the seventh, pushing the lead to 10-1 with four more runs. Erin Russell and Sam Burns both connected on two-RBI doubles as the Diplomats put away Haverford.

A scoreless bottom of the seventh gave Schaefer (6-6) the win for F&M, her second complete-game win in three days. The sophomore scattered six hits and struck out three en route to the victory.

Russell and Burns led the offense with two RBIs each. Clemens, Van O'Linda, and Long joined them with a double apiece. 

The Diplomats return to action tomorrow, hosting Swarthmore at Baker Campus for another crucial CC showdown at 1:00 p.m.