LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall baseball team (12-14, 4-2 CC) defeated Ursinus (9-15, 2-4 CC), 9-6, in the opening game of its home-and-home series Tuesday afternoon at Caplan Field. Ursinus scored six runs in the top of the sixth to take a one-run lead, but F&M responded with four-unanswered runs to race past the Bears in the contest.

Trailing 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth, Patrick Cettina led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch and later moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Nolan McCloskey. After a wild pitch advanced Cettina to third, Bobby Falese roped a single up the middle to score the runner and tie the game. The next batter, Spencer Berson walked to set up a two-RBI double from Jakob Hoffman to give the Diplomats an 8-6 advantage. Franklin & Marshall added its final run in the bottom of the eighth as Berson scored Falese on an RBI-single to left field – extending the lead to 9-6.

The Diplomats broke into the scoring column first in the bottom of the third as Drew Butera laced a two-RBI double down the left field line to put F&M up 2-0. In the bottom of the fourth, McCloskey singled through the right side of the infield to score Andrew Filippelli from second to make the score, 3-0. A double into center field from Falese and a single through the left side of the infield from Berson led to two more runs – giving F&M an early 5-0 lead.

Berson led the Diplomats with three hits, while Falese and Filippelli tallied two each. Berson, Butera, Falese, and Hoffman all recorded two RBI each in the victory.

Thomas McLaughlin (2-2) earned his second win on the mound this season as he struck out one and didn't allow a hit through 1.1 inning of relief. Kiernan Keller recorded his first save of the year with three strikeouts and no earned runs allowed through two innings of work. Luca Marshall was tagged with a no-decision – striking out four and allowing two earned runs in five innings pitched.

Franklin & Marshall travels to Ursinus on Friday to complete the series with the Bears. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.