BETHLEHEM, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall softball team (5-9) was swept by No. 23 Moravian (12-4) on Tuesday with a 3-0 loss in game one before dropping game two, 11-6.
Game One
A solo Greyhound homer in the first inning and a two-run fifth inning was enough to give Moravian a 3-0 win to begin the afternoon.
Charlotte Dwyer got the start in the circle, going five innings with three earned runs, four hits, and three strikeouts. Five Diplomats had one hit apiece including a double from Madison Martin. Claire Sullivan reached base safely with a pair of walks.
Moravian's lone baserunner through the first four innings came on their solo homer to center field in the first inning. After that, Dwyer retired 11 consecutive batters. Over the first four innings, the Diplomats were kept to just one hit.
F&M found life with two outs in the fifth inning, as Martin doubled, Sullivan walked, and Natalia Garza singled to load the bases. Moravian preserved their shutout with a groundout back to the circle.
The Greyhounds added two insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Two batters singled aboard, then a triple to right field brought both runners home.
After allowing a leadoff triple in the bottom of the sixth, Alex Kilpatrick recovered by retiring the next three batters on a lineout, popout, and groundout.
Erika Stewart singled to begin the top of the seventh inning and got into scoring position on a passed ball. Sullivan walked with one out, but the next two batters were retired on a strikeout and groundout to give Moravian a shutout victory.
Game Two
After pulling ahead via a four-run fourth inning, the Diplomats were undone by a six-run fifth inning from Moravian in an 11-6 defeat in the second game of the day.
Stewart was 2-for-2 with a double, two runs scored, and a walk, while Martin went 2-for-3 with an RBI and one run scored. Gabby Mundy led the team with two RBI. Ainsley McClure pitched four innings with two earned runs from five total runs, six hits, two walks, and three strikeouts.
Following a routine first inning, F&M made use of two errors from Moravian that began the second inning, scoring one run on an RBI groundout. Moravian countered in the bottom half of the inning, as F&M committed two errors of their own to tie the game at 1-1. Later on, two more runs scored on a two-out double to the left-center gap.
The Diplomats added one more run in the second inning, making use of singles from Stewart and Martin to begin the frame. Back-to-back groundouts advanced the runners, scoring one run.
Four Diplomats came home in the fourth inning to give the visitors a 6-3 lead. Megan Wiarda reached on an error, Nora Sidorski singled, and Stewart walked to load the bases with one out. From there, Martin singled a run home, Garza hit a sacrifice fly, and Mundy and Sophia Noriega each singled a run home. Moravian reduced the deficit in the bottom of the fourth with a leadoff solo homer.
One inning later, they struck for six runs on seven hits, including three doubles. They added one run in the sixth inning before shutting down F&M in order in the top of the seventh.
The Diplomats open the Centennial Conference campaign at Swarthmore on Tuesday, April 1, at 3:00 p.m.
