CLERMONT, Fla.-- The Franklin & Marshall softball team defeated Wisconsin-Stout in a closely-contested contest, 3-2. An early 3-0 helped the Diplomats hold on to victory after the Blue Devils tried to rally late. F&M backed up that effort with a 4-2 win against peer institution Bowdoin.
Game 1: Franklin & Marshall 3, Wisconsin-Stout 2
F&M went on a two run spree in the second frame to snag an early lead. Back-to-back singles smacked by
Abi Buell and
Kate Clement put runners on the corners.
Hanna Maier capitalized on the opportunity, ripping an RBI double, scoring pinch runner Theresa Galban. A
Brenda Garcia RBI groundout later in the inning drove in a
Kate Clement score, lifting the Diplomats to the early 2-0 advantage.
F&M widened its gap in the third frame as
Jamie Belfer converted on her speciality move, hitting a single and stealing second. Belfer reached third soon after off a Blue Devil error.
Alexa Klepper, subsequently, whipped a single to send Belfer home, the Diplomats' third run of the contest.
Wisconsin-Stout found their groove in the fourth inning, tallying two runs. The Blue Devils found the scoreboard as a result of a Diplomat wild pitch and an additional RBI single.
The Blue Devils threatened again in the bottom of the seventh, but key pitching from
Charlotte Dwyer stranded the game-tying run on second.
On offense,
Hanna Maier went 2-for-3 from the plate, including her RBI double. On the defensive end,
Peightyn Schwartz (4-2) and
Charlotte Dwyer shared pitching duties as Schwartz pitched 4.2 innings and Dwyer threw in 2.1 scoreless innings.
Game 2: F&M vs. Bowdoin
The Diplomats completed their St. Patrick's Day sweep with a 4-2 win over peer institution Bowdoin from the NESCAC. The scoring was limited to just two frames in the contest for F&M, but that was all the Diplomats needed as they pushed three runs across in the bottom of the third to go ahead before the pitching and strong defense took over.
Bowdoin opened the scoring with its only two runs of the contest in the first inning as three straight one-out singles and a wild pitch scored a pair of Polar Bears. F&M answered one of those runs in the bottom of the first after Jamie Belfer's leadoff single. She scored one of her two runs in the game after she capitalizing on a defensive miscue following another steal of second base.
The Polar Bears also got their first two runners on during the second inning, but three straight strikeouts from Charlotte Dwyer left those runners stranded in scoring position. Franklin & Marshall took the lead for good just one inning later. Once again, it was Belfer starting things off with a single and stolen base. The Diplomats continued to take advantage of every opportunity. Following an error, F&M manufactured a run with an RBI groundout before Sam Martin, who reached on the earlier error, scored on a wild pitch. Singles from Abi Buell and Kate Clement set the table for an RBI off the bat of Francesca Testa.
With the 4-2 lead, that was more than enough support for Dwyer, who was outstanding in the circle. After coming on in relief during the second inning, she pitched six scoreless innings of relief and allowed just three hits over that time. In addition to striking out the side with the Polar Bears threatening in the third, she finished the game with eight punchouts in total, while walking just one batter.
Up Next:
F&M will resume action Friday morning against St. Lawrence (9:00 a.m.) and Salem State (11:30 a.m.), playing both squads for the second time this week. The two game will be F&M's final matchups in its Florida spring break trip.
