DAVENPORT, Fla. – The Franklin & Marshall baseball team (9-3) earned its third win of the RussMatt Invitational as it defeated Scranton (9-4), 10-5, Tuesday afternoon. The Diplomats jumped out to an early advantage with three runs in the first and didn't surrender the lead for the entirety of the contest.

Nolan McCloskey led off the bottom of the first inning with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Tanner Wolpert walked, Matt Hollender ripped a single into left field to plate McCloskey for the first run of the game. Two batters later, Gideon Schwartz laced his first-career triple into right field to put F&M ahead, 3-0.

Scranton responded with a run in the top of the second, but the Diplomats went right back to work in the bottom of the third. Wolpert led off the frame with a double into left field and advanced to third on a wild pitch. The next batter, Nick DiGiacomo hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Wolpert and cushion F&M's lead at 4-1.

The Royals narrowed the deficit to one with two runs on three hits in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the frame, Michael von Zuben singled before Wolpert tripled down the right field line to push the Diplomats' lead to 5-3. Hollender followed with a single into right field as F&M grew its lead to three.

In the bottom of the sixth, F&M got two runners into scoring position with one out. Landon Hallett capitalized on the opportunity with a single through the right side of the infield to score Nick Lorenzo for the Diplomats' seventh run of the game. After a walk to McCloskey loaded the bases, an error during the next at-bat allowed Hallett to score, extending F&M's lead to 8-3. Two batters later, Hollender roped a two-RBI single through the right side of the infield to give F&M a 10-3 advantage.

Scranton scored two runs in the top of the ninth, but the Royals stranded two runners to give the Diplomats their third win in a row.

Hollender led F&M with three hits and four RBI in the contest. DiGiacomo, Hallett, and Wolpert followed with two hits and one RBI each in the win.

Colin Mackenzie (1-1) earned his first win of the season on the mound, striking out four and allowing two earned runs in 5.0 innings pitched. Luca Marshall was solid in relief, allowing just two base runners in 2.0 innings of work. Chet Kosnar ended the game on the mound, striking out two and allowing no earned runs in 2.0 innings pitched.

Franklin & Marshall returns to action on Thursday against Babson. First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 a.m.