GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Franklin & Marshall split a pair of games against Guilford - falling in the first game 7-6 in an 11-inning marathon, while snatching the second game 8-3 in a shortened 5+ inning game that was called due to darkness.

Game 1: Guilford 7, F&M 6

After a 1-2-3 top of the first, the hosts got on the board in the bottom half - loading the bases, then plating one on an error for an early 1-0 lead.

F&M answered back in the top of the 2nd, as Patrick Cettina and Jakob Hoffman laced singles to stick runners on the corners. Pat Elliot followed with a third straight single to plate Cettina, knotting the game at 1-1. Tommy Denlinger worked a walk to load the bases, then Connor Rush added a station-to-station single, plating another. A Spencer Berson sac fly scored the third run of the inning, followed by RBI singles from Will Samuel and Bobby Falese for a 5-1 advantage.

Guilford pulled things even with two runs in the bottom half of the frame, followed by a pair of RBI doubles in the bottom of the 4th.

F&M got back on the board in the top of the 7th after AJ Desautels and Will Samuel worked walks to start the inning, then advanced a base on a wild pitch. Bobby Falese knocked another run in on a deep sacrifice fly to give the Diplomats a 6-5 edge. The lead didn't last, as back-to-back Quaker doubles knotted the game at six apiece.

The teams were relatively quiet into extra innings, as F&M put a runner on third with two away, but couldn't plate the game-winner. After a double and single to put two on with nobody out, F&M intentionally walked the bases loaded and pulled the infield in. The Diplomats grabbed two outs, nabbing the lead runner at home twice, before their luck ran out on a sacrifice fly to give Guilford the 7-6 victory.

Bobby Falese led the way for the Diplomats with a 3-6 effort with a pair of RBI. Connor Rush also picked up a multi-hit game with a 2-4 effort with an RBI of his own.

Charlie Wright went the first four innings for F&M, allowing six hits and five runs (four earned) while punching out three. Dan Galef (0-1) finished off the games with seven innings out of the pen, allowing six hits and two earned runs.

Game 2: F&M 8, Guilford 3

The Diplomats wasted little time getting on the board in the rubber match, plating four in the first inning, followed by two in the second for a 6-0 lead.

Hot off his two RBI first game, Bobby Falese plated AJ Desautels with an RBI double for a 1-0 edge. A bases-loaded walk from Pat Elliott scored another, and Steven Rizzo knocked in two more from a double to grab the 4-0 lead and knock the Quakers' starter from the contest without recording an out.

Falese again showed off his hot bat in the top of the 2nd, tripling in Will Samuel for a 5-0 edge. Jakob Hoffman laced an RBI single to follow for a 6-0 lead after the top half of the second. A sac fly in the bottom half shrunk the Diplomat margin to 6-1.

F&M kept things rolling in the third, as Falese punched in his third RBI of the game and fifth of the afternoon for a 7-1 advantage.

Guilford pulled two back in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of a lead off double and back-to-back throwing errors from the Diplomats to pull back to within 7-3.

The Diplomats loaded the bases with just one out in the top of the 6th, as Evan Varga singled, followed by Spencer Berson and AJ Desautels. Bobby Falese worked a two out walk to account for his fourth RBI of the contest. The game ended due to darkness shortly after, giving F&M the 8-3 victory.

Bobby Falese finished a homer short of the cycle, ending 3-4 with four RBI and two runs. Will Samuel also put together a sterling performance at the plate, ending 4-5 with two runs.

Thomas McLaughlin went the distance, scattering five hits and two earned runs over five innings of work.

Up Next:

F&M continues its road trip to open the season tomorrow, coming back towards Pennsylvania with a pitstop in Roanoke to face the Maroons at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.