LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall welcomed Swarthmore to Lancaster for a pair of Centennial Conference softball games on Sunday afternoon, winning 9-1 and 8-0 in two contests shortened to five innings. The Diplomats improved to 16-12, 4-6 CC with the sweep while the Garnet fell to 10-20, 1-9 CC.

F&M jumped out to an early lead after pushing seven runs across in the bottom of the first. Erin Russell and Sam Burns each notched an RBI before Karly Newcomb delivered the big blow with a two-RBI single. Samantha Clemens logged an RBI double in the inning as well.

The Diplomats extended their lead in the second as Burns drove in Russell with an RBI triple to right field.

Swarthmore got on the board in the fifth to make the score 8-1, but F&M scored once more in the bottom of the inning to win 9-1 via the mercy rule. A Taylor Long triple plated Kelly Van O'Linda as the Diplomats put the game out of the reach.

Katie Wenger (8-5) earned the win for F&M, giving up just two hits and zero runs in four innings of work. The sophomore struck out six and conceded just one walk on the day. Megan Ryan worked the fifth frame in relief of Wenger.

Burns went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a triple, and two RBIs to lead the rout. Clemens went 3-for-4 and Russell was a perfect 2-for-2 as the Diplomat offense exploded for nine runs.

The F&M offense continued tear up the Swarthmore pitching staff in the second contest of the day, tallying one run in the second and third frames. The floodgates opened in the fourth as an RBI triple from Clemens followed by RBIs from Van O'Linda and Wenger opened a 5-0 deficit for the Diplomats.

In the fifth another RBI double from Burns scored Alexa Smedberg before Clemens drove in two with her second triple of the game. Burns and Crystal Good scored on the play, and the Diplomats won 8-0 in walk-off fashion due to the mercy rule.

Isabel Schaefer (7-6) tallied her third win in four days with a five-inning, complete-game shutout. She allowed just two hits and gave up zero walks while striking out two.

Clemens went 3-for-3 with two triples, driving in three and going 6-for-7 over two games. Russell's 3-for-3 mark gave her a 5-for-5 line on the day, while Burns went 2-for-3 to finish 5-for-6 on the day with three RBIs and 10 total bases.

The Diplomats look to continue their winning ways on Tuesday as CC leaders Gettysburg come to Lancaster for another vital doubleheader.