LANCASTER, Pa.- After dropping the first game against Penn State Brandywine (7-7) by a 3-1 scoreline, Lauren Steiner's walk-off two-run home run in the eighth inning secured a 7-6 victory to split F&M's (5-7) home-opener doubleheader.

Game One

F&M carried a 1-0 lead through the sixth inning before the Lions put three runners across the plate to secure a 3-1 victory in the opener. 

Kate DelGrippo pitched the first six innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and a hit batter with three strikeouts. Morgan Risnychok was 2-for-3, Natalia Garza went 1-for-3 with a double and one run scored, while Lauren Steiner had F&M's lone RBI in the first inning on a single.

Steiner made use of a leadoff double from Garza in the first inning to drive her home with a single down the left-field line.

Brandywine looked to respond in the second inning, loading the bases with two outs via two singles and a hit batter. DelGrippo worked out of trouble by generating a flyout. 

The next-best chance at scoring from either side came in the fourth inning, as the Diplomats loaded the bases with two outs thanks to a pair of singles and a walk before the Lions escaped the frame with a groundout. 

After retiring ten-consecutive hitters, DelGrippo ran into trouble in the sixth inning following back-to-back singles to begin the frame. A one-out single plated the first run, while two more runs would cross on back-to-back two-out singles before a lineout ended the inning with Brandywine ahead, 3-1. F&M got the leadoff runners on base in both the sixth and seventh innings, but they were unable to advance the runner into scoring position in both scenarios.

Game Two

In a game that featured four lead changes and three tied scorelines, Steiner's two-run walk-off homer in the eighth inning proved the deciding factor in F&M securing a split in the doubleheader.

Steiner finished a triple shy of the cycle, hitting 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two RBI, and two runs scored. Ellie LoPiccolo was 2-for-3 with an RBI and one run scored. Ainsley McClure earned the win in the circle, pitching the final six innings with two earned runs, six hits, and three strikeouts. 

Following a routine first inning for both offenses, the Lions struck first with a two-run second inning. All of their offense came with one out via a run of a walk, triple, and single to gain an early 2-0 lead.

F&M got one run back, as Steiner began the frame with a leadoff double that just missed clearing the fence in left-center field. A groundout advanced her 60 feet before LoPiccolo brought the run home with a two-out single up the middle. 

F&M tied things up in the third inning following Grace Header's leadoff single. Garza put down a successful sacrifice bunt, and Header sprinted towards an unguarded third base on the play. The throw to third base to a covering left fielder was off the mark, allowing Header to score from first base.

Brandywine broke the 2-2 deadlock in the fifth inning, getting two runners into scoring position with two outs on a double steal. One run scored on a single up the middle before the second runner got caught in a rundown between third and the plate.

Yet again, the Diplomats countered in the bottom of the inning. LoPiccolo doubled to the right-center gap to kick off the frame, Madison Martin executed a successful sacrifice bunt, and Stewart hit a ball deep enough to right field to plate LoPiccolo.

One inning later, the Diplomats claimed their first lead of the contest after loading the bases on a Steiner double plus a pair of walks. Sara Hess scored one run on a single up the middle, while Martin walked a run home with two outs before the Lions generated a flyout to end the sixth.

F&M led 5-3 entering the seventh, but Brandywine rallied with two runs to send the game into extra innings. Their first runner reached on an infield error followed by back-to-back single to bring one run home. The game-tying run came home on a sacrifice fly to left field. The Diplomats were retired in order to send the game into the eighth.

The Lions began their turn by advancing their free runner on a sacrifice bunt. They reclaimed the lead on the next at-bat on an infield groundout, while a strikeout concluded the inning.

Steiner worked a full count to begin the bottom half of the inning before driving a ball well over the left-field fence to confirm a 7-6 victory. The homer is her fifth through her first 11 collegiate games, already tying her for the third-most in a single season in program history.

Up Next

The Diplomats stay in Lancaster when they host Lancaster Bible for a doubleheader on Thursday, March 26, at 3:00 p.m.