BALTIMORE, Md. -- Franklin & Marshall baseball dropped a pair of games to Johns Hopkins in Centennial Conference (CC) action on Saturday, falling 8-6 and 13-6 in a doubleheader. The Diplomats (17-12, 8-2 CC) had early leads in both contests, but surrendering back breaking home runs to the Blue Jays (17-12, 7-3 CC) to lose their first conference contests of the season.

Game 1: Johns Hopkins 8, F&M 6

This game was dominated by the long ball, as the Diplomats smacked five for the second time this season, but were undone by a grand slam and an inside-the-park round tripper late to fall 8-6.

The Diplomats got started early in the first behind back-to-back blasts from Jakob Hoffman and Will Samuel to go up 3-0. Hopkins followed soon after with three runs of their own in the second to knot things.

F&M returned the favor in the next frame, launching three over the fence as Spencer Berson, Bobby Falese, and Jakob Hoffman all hit solo shots to take a 6-3 lead.

That lead held until the sixth, when the Blue Jays loaded the bases and promptly unloaded them with a grand slam to left for a 7-6 lead. Hopkins followed with an inside-the-park effort to open the bottom of the seventh to extend it to the advantage to 8-6.

Jakob Hoffman paced F&M with a 2-for-4, three RBI effort from the DH slot. Berson, Falese, and Samuel were the only other Diplomats to hit - all homering in the effort.

Kyle Roche (2-3) was feast or famine in the loss, surrendering seven earned across six innings, while striking out 11 Blue Jays.

Game 2: Johns Hopkins 13, F&M 6

F&M again grabbed an early lead via the long ball, as Bobby Falese uncorked one the opposite way to right for a 2-0 lead.

That lead failed to hold, as a pair of Blue Jay runs tied things in the bottom half of the frame. Hopkins then started unleashing blasts - hitting a trio of solo shots between the third and fourth to take a 5-2 lead.

The Diplomats pulled one back in the fifth, as Spencer Berson lined a single to left to plate Pat Elliott to trail 5-3.

Three more Blue Jay homers in the fifth knocked in five more runs to take a commanding 10-3 lead.

F&M plated a pair in the sixth on a pair of bases loaded walks with two outs, but stranded the remainder. Hopkins tacked on another in the next frame, as a suicide squeeze put their lead back to six, 11-5.

A Bobby Falese sacrifice fly in the eighth netted another run for the Diplomats, but the Blue Jays again had an answer with two more in the bottom half for the 13-6 final.

Spencer Berson and Tommy Denlinger both finished with multi-hit games, as Berson knocked in a pair. Bobby Falese continues to inch closer to resetting the F&M RBI record, with a three-RBI contest to now sit at 42 on the season.

Greg Nieskens (5-2) was tagged with the loss, surrendering four runs in three innings.

Up Next:

F&M returns home for a single tilt against Washington on Tuesday beginning at 3:30 p.m. at Caplan Field.