Box Score CARLISLE, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall baseball team (25-13, 12-4 CC) completed its series sweep over Dickinson (22-16-1, 10-8 CC), 9-3, on the road Monday afternoon. The second game of the home-and-home series was originally scheduled to be played last Friday, but inclement weather over the weekend postponed the contest to today.
Trailing 1-0 in the top of the second, F&M's bats went to work as Jakob Hoffman and Drew Butera ripped back-to-back singles to lead off the frame. A double by Spencer Berson into left field scored Hoffman to tie the game. The next batter, Pat Elliott, singled into center field to bring home Butera – giving the Diplomats the lead. After a walk to Nolan McCloskey loaded the bases, AJ Desautels was hit by a pitch to push another run across before Tommy Denlinger plated two more with a single into center – extending the F&M advantage to 5-1.
Franklin & Marshall added another tally in the top of the fourth as Hoffman worked a walk with the bases loaded to score Desautels.
In the fifth, Tommy Alexander legged out an infield single with two outs to keep the inning alive. McCloskey followed by ripping his first-career triple down the right field line to score Alexander and push the F&M lead to 7-1.
After Dickinson picked up a run in the sixth, the Diplomats responded with two runs coming in the top of the eighth from a single by Michael von Zuben – stretching the lead to 9-2.
Franklin & Marshall outhit Dickinson, 13-8, with Denlinger leading the F&M offense with four. Denlinger and von Zuben each tallied a game-high two RBI in the win.
Kiernan Keller (2-0) claimed his second win of the season on the mound, striking out one and not allowing an earned run in three innings of work. Brooks Rush led the game with three strikeouts in two innings on the bump.
After the Diplomats locked up the No. 2 seed and the Red Devils claimed the No. 3 seed, F&M will host Dickinson on Thursday in the first round of the Centennial Conference (CC) playoffs. First pitch is to be determined.
Franklin & Marshall wraps up the regular season with a doubleheader against No. 1 Johns Hopkins at Caplan Field Tuesday at noon.
