LEESBURG, Fla. – The Franklin & Marshall softball team split its matchups for the second straight day in Florida on Monday afternoon. Just like Sunday, it was a run-rule victory that highlighted the action for the Diplomats.

Game 1: St. Lawrence 10, Franklin & Marshall 3

St. Lawrence struck first in the first inning with a ground out RBI in game one. The Saints piled in three more runs during the top of the third on three hits, taking an early 4-0 lead after just two and a half innings.

F&M came roaring back in the bottom half of the third with three of its own. Francesca Testa and Brenda Garcia set the table by reaching to start the inning. Jamie Belfer put the ball in play and was rewarded with an RBI following the misplay from the Saints defense. Two more RBI singles from Alexa Klepper and Abi Buell had the deficit down to a single run after just three innings of play.

Nevertheless, St. Lawrence answered that challenge with runs during each of its final four times up to bat as the Saints scored in six of the seven innings overall. Franklin & Marshall's six hits were scattered throughout the lineup during the opening game as the third inning marked the only frame in which the Diplomats pushed a run across.

Game 2: Franklin & Marshall 11, Salem State 1

The Diplomats recovered nicely in game two, ending the game in a shortened five innings. Klepper led the charge with three total hits, including a double and a triple.

Klepper's triple took place right off the bat in the first inning as she drove in Kate Clement for F&M's first run. Clement originally got on base after singling to shortstop. A sacrifice fly by Buell handed the Diplomats their other run of the frame as Klepper touched home.

Despite starting out the next inning with two consecutive outs, the Diplomats persevered with three runs. Jensen Macaulay set up the offense with a single to center field. Jamie Belfer followed suit with a bunt that advanced Macaulay to second. Clement drove in Macaulay courtesy of an RBI single to left before Klepper's two-run single punched in the final two runs of the inning after smacking a single as Clement and Belfer advanced home.

The best was yet to come for the Diplomats as they put the run-rule into effect by scoring six times during the fourth inning. F&M put runners on second and third after Clement reached on an error and Klepper doubled. That started a string of five consecutive hits as Buell, Kat Gunther, Hanna Maier, and Testa all brough home runs on their RBI singles. Later in the frame, Macaulay's single to center field added two more runs to the already high-scoring affair, with Shannon Briggs and Hanna Maier coming around to score.

That run support was more than enough for first-year Charlotte Dwyer who recorded her first collegiate win in the circle. Dwyer struck out 10 batters and scattered just three hits over her five-inning complete game. From the final out in the second, in addition to striking out the side during both the third and fourth innings, Dwyer set down seven straight hitters on punchouts during the middle of the game.

The trio of Klepper, Clement, and Maier recorded multiple hits to pace the offense. Klepper went 3-for-3 with three RBI, while Clement and Maier both registered a pair of hits.

Up Next:

F&M returns to action early Tuesday morning against No. 6 Eastern Connecticut State (9:15 a.m.) and MCLA (11:30 a.m.).