HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. – The Franklin & Marshall baseball team (1-0) started off its 2025 campaign with a 14-8 victory over Hampden-Sydney (1-1) in Saturday afternoon's non-conference game at Ty Cobb Ballpark. F&M scored six runs in the second inning to jump out to an early lead. The Diplomats continued to pull away from the Tigers, scoring three runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth for its largest win on opening day since 2015.

The Diplomats got the scoring started in the top of the second inning as Tanner Wolpert led off the frame by roping his first-career homer over the left center field fence. Nick DiGiacomo then doubled down the left field line and later scored on an error in the infield to push the F&M lead to 2-0. The inning continued as the Diplomats worked the bases loaded for Bobby Falese to leg out an infield single, scoring AJ Desautels on the play. The next batter, Michael von Zuben capped the big inning with a bases-clearing three-RBI double into the left center field gap to put F&M ahead 6-0.

With two outs in the top of the fifth, Matt Hollender singled and DiGiacomo walked to keep the inning alive for Desautels to blast a three-run home run over the left field wall to make the score 9-0. The home run was Desautels' seventh-career homer.

Franklin & Marshall continued to add to its lead in the top of the sixth as Falese crushed a solo home run over the left field fence for his 23rd career blast. Three-consecutive walks allowed von Zuben to score on a fielder's choice to grow the lead to 11. Nick Lorenzo then ripped an RBI-single into right field, followed by a two-RBI double from Andrew Filippelli – extending the Franklin & Marshall lead to 14-0.

The Tigers scored three runs in both the sixth and eighth innings, followed by two runs in the ninth. However, the deficit was too great to overcome.

Five Diplomats tallied multi-hit games, while Desautels led the contest with four RBI. Von Zuben finished the game with three RBI, followed by Falese and Filippelli tallying two each.

Dan Galef (1-0) earned the win on the mound, striking out two and allowing two earned runs in five innings of work.

Franklin & Marshall wraps up its series with Hampden-Sydney with a doubleheader on Sunday, starting at noon.