CLERMONT, Fla.- The Franklin & Marshall softball team (3-5), went 1-2 in a three-game day at THE Spring Games on Thursday, defeating William Paterson in five innings before falling to Smith (4-3) and SUNY Old Westbury (1-5). 

Game One (vs. William Paterson) 

The Diplomats efficiently dispatched William Paterson (4-4), 10-2 in five innings to complete a contest that was halted at the start of the fourth inning on Sunday.

Lauren Steiner hit her third home run of the week, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one double, and one run score. Grace Header went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI and one run scored, while Natalia Garza was 1-for-3 with three RBI, a stolen base, one sacrifice fly, and three runs scored. Sara Hess hit 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. In the circle, Ainsley McClure pitched all five innings while allowing two earned runs, four hits, two walks, and four strikeouts. 

The Pioneers got on the scoreboard first with one run in the opening frame. They made use of a one-out walk, advancing the runner with a sacrifice bunt. That runner was brought home with a double to the right-center gap.

The Diplomats tied things up in the bottom of the first. After Garza reached on a one-out error, Steiner brought the runner home with a double of her own to the right-center gap. 

F&M claimed a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with two outs. From there, Header plated two runners with a single. F&M struck for four runs in the fourth, swiftly getting runners into scoring position with a leadoff Megan Wiarda double and single from Madison Martin to get runners on the corners. Garza scored both runs with a single down the line, while Steiner cleared the fence two at-bats later to give F&M a 7-1 lead. 

William Paterson got one run back in the fifth inning with a two-out single, but F&M sought to reach the run rule in the bottom half of the frame. Header doubled and Ellie LoPiccolo walked to begin the frame, while an infield error soon loaded the bases. Hess brought two runners home with a single, and Garza hit a sacrifice fly to bring Martin home, confirming a 10-2 victory.

Game Two (vs. Smith) 

A five-run second inning proved the key to a 9-4 Smith win in F&M's second game of the day, as the Diplomats defense conceded four errors in the defeat. 

F&M's offense was limited to four hits, and three of them came via Header. She had one RBI, while Abby Favazza and Hess also contributed one RBI apiece. Just two of Alex Kilpatrick's runs were earned through 4.1 innings of service.

Smith opened the scoring with a one-out double, making use of an infield error that began the first inning. They struck for five runs in a second inning of struggle for the Diplomats that included two hits, two errors, a walk, and a passed ball.

F&M rallied in the third inning, also making use of errors to close the gap to 6-4. Stewart singled and stole a base to begin the frame, while Hess reached on an error that scored Stewart. A Garza walk plus another infield error loaded the bases with no outs. Favazza scored one more run on a sacrifice fly to right field, while F&M executed a successful double steal with runners on the corners that brought Garza home. F&M completed scoring in the frame with a Header single up the middle. 

The Bears posted two more runs in the bottom of the third, executing on back-to-back leadoff singles with a sacrifice bunt. An infield error brought one run home, while another scored on a sacrifice fly. DelGrippo left the bases loaded when she generated a lineout to center field to escape the frame.

Smith added one more run with a two-out single in the fourth inning, completing the game's score at 9-4, as both sides struggled to get runners into scoring position in the remaining time.

Game Three (vs. SUNY Old Westbury)

F&M was unable to maintain a 4-0 lead through the first two innings, as SUNY Old Westbury completed a five-run comeback victory over F&M in a game that initially began on Sunday before rain halted play in the top of the fourth inning.

Steiner's first chronological home run of her collegiate career, a solo homer hit on Sunday, now becomes her third of the week now that the game is official. Morgan Risnychok was 2-for-3 with two doubles, one RBI, one walk, and one run scored. Kate DelGrippo delivered four scoreless innings in relief, totaling three strikeouts with five hits and two walks.

The Diplomats scored two runs in the bottom of the first, as Risnychok began the frame with a double to the right-center gap followed by Steiner home run to left-center. F&M completed the team's scoring in the second inning on a two-out rally that saw Garza reach on a walk and Erika Stewart make use of an infield error. Risnychok then brought both runners to the plate with a double to center field. 

Old Westbury began to cut into the lead in the third inning, scoring the first on a two-out single followed by one more corner scoring on a single on the next at-bat. They followed the fourth inning with a three-run fourth inning to claim the lead. Their first two runners reached on walks, while they loaded the bases on an infield error. The first runner was brought home on a single, while two more runners crossed the plate on a walk and another single. DelGrippo was able to keep the deficit at one, stranding the bases loaded on back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout. 

F&M was able to get one runner into scoring position in the remaining innings but was unable to draw level.

Up Next

F&M concludes the spring-break slate on Friday morning with games against Keene State at 9:00 a.m. and Amherst at 11:15 a.m.