LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall softball team (15-19, 7-7 Centennial Conference) split Tuesday's action against Ursinus (12-24, 4-12 Centennial Conference), dropping a 6-3 opener before bouncing back with an 8-7 win to conclude the day. 

Game One

A three-run fifth inning allowed F&M to cut the gap to 5-3, but the Diplomats eventually fell 6-3 in an error-ridden opener where the teams combined for seven total errors.

Kate DelGrippo pitched all seven innings, allowing three earned runs from the six total runs on ten hits with 5 strikeouts.

Madison Martin collected two hits and scored a run, while DelGrippo had one hit and one RBI. Morgan Risnychok posted an RBI and a single, while Gabby Mundy contributed a hit and a run scored. 

After an up-and-down first inning, Ursinus scored their first run in the second on a sequence of a leadoff single, sacrifice bunt, and infield error. The Bears added two more in the third in another frame that began with a leadoff single and sacrifice bunt. Another infield error put runners on the corners, while a stolen base put both players into scoring position for a two-RBI double to right field. 

A leadoff error in the bottom of the third gave F&M their first baserunner of the game, while Natalia Garza and Mundy would later reach safely with two outs to load the bases, although Ursinus drew a strikeout to escape the inning.

Ursinus added another run in the fourth inning with a solo home run followed by a two-out RBI single in the fifth to mark four-straight innings of scoring. 

Martin began the bottom of the fifth with a single, while Garza reached on an error and Mundy loaded the bases with a single to left field. An infield error on the next at-bat plated two runs, while DelGrippo brought one more run home with a single up the middle. F&M still had no outs at this point, but a 5-3 double play followed by a groundout brought a quick close to the rally. 

Ursinus added one insurance run in the seventh inning following a leadoff double and two-out single that got runners onto the corners. An infield error allowed the Bears to claim a 6-3 lead. F&M got the tying run to the plate with two outs in the bottom half of the inning, but a popout on the 11th pitch of Sara Hess' at-bat concluded game one.

Game Two

F&M narrowly outpaced Ursinus in a back-and-forth 8-7 win to split the day.

Hess was 2-for-2 with three RBI and a pair of doubles, while Ellie LoPiccolo was 2-for-3 with a double, triple, the game-winning RBI, and three runs scored. Risnychok had two hits including a solo homer plus two walks and two runs scored. DelGrippo provided two hits and two RBI.

Ainsley McClure earned her tenth win of the season with a complete-game performance, totaling four strikeouts. 

Ursinus struck first with a two-run homer in the first inning. F&M got one run back in the second inning following a leadoff triple from LoPiccolo, as Martin brought her home on a groundout to the shortstop. 

F&M claimed their first lead of the afternoon thanks to a three-run third inning that kicked off with a one-out solo homer from Risnychok. DelGrippo singled and LoPiccolo walked, setting the stage for a two-out, two-RBI double from Hess for a 4-2 lead. 

McClure faced trouble in the fifth inning after retiring 11-straight batters. Two runners reached with one out on a single and a hit by pitch, and Ursinus drew level on a two-RBI double of their own with two outs. That tie was short lived, as LoPiccolo and Hess hit back-to-back two-out, one-RBI doubles. 

F&M added two critical insurance runs in the sixth inning. Garza and Risnychok singled ahead of a two-RBI double from DelGrippo to put F&M ahead, 8-4, with three outs to go. 

Ursinus got one run back with back-to-back one-out doubles, while they added a couple more runs on an RBI double and single with two outs, putting the tying run at first and the go-ahead run at the plate. McClure preserved the win with a strikeout.

Up Next

F&M concludes the regular season by hosting Washington College for Senior Day on Saturday, April 25, at 1:00 p.m. They'll look to earn F&M's first Centennial Conference Softball Tournament berth since 2017's championship-winning run.