LANCASTER, Pa.- The Franklin & Marshall softball team (17-19, 9-7 Centennial Conference) celebrated Senior Day with a playoff-confirming sweep of Washington College (10-28, 4-12 Centennial Conference), booking the team's first trip into the Centennial Conference Tournament since 2017's tournament championship season. F&M won game one, 5-2, ahead of a 7-5 victory in the regular-season finale.
Game One
A four-run third inning provided enough runaway, as F&M opened the day with a 5-2 victory.
Ainsley McClure totaled eight strikeouts in her complete-game victory, allowing two earned runs on seven hits for her 11th win of the year.
Abby Favazza went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, while
Morgan Risnychok was 2-for-4 with a triple, RBI, and one run scored.
Lauren Steiner and
Kate DelGrippo also record one RBI each.
McClure began the game with three strikeouts in the first inning, while F&M broke through with one run in the first inning. Garza walked in an eight-pitch at-bat, while
Gabby Mundy advanced the runner 60 feet. Risnychok plated Garza with a single to left field.
The Diplomats were unable to make use of a pair of one-out singles in the second, but they soon added to their lead with four runs in the third. Risnychok tripled with one out, while DelGrippo hit a fly ball that forced an error to plate one run. DelGrippo crossed the plate from second on a Steiner single up the middle, while Favzza brought two more runners home later in the inning with a two-out single to the left side.
Washington College added two runs in the sixth inning following a leadoff double and back-to-back one-out singles, although McClure ended the game by retiring the final five batters in order.
Winning the opener booked a spot in the Centennial Conference Tournament, while a win to complete the sweep would lock in home advantage for Tuesday's play-in game.
Game Two
A seven-run fourth inning allowed F&M the room to fend off a late charge from the Shorewomen in a 7-5 win to cap the day.
DelGrippo earned the win with a complete-game performance, allowing four earned runs on 12 hits with two strikeouts. Offensively, she led F&M with a three-run homer in the pivotal fourth inning. Risnychok and Garza reached a pair of hits each. Steiner hit a triple,
Hillary Murse and Mundy each recorded a double, one RBI, and one run scored, while
Mia Lanter recorded a double.
F&M looked to strike in the first inning after loading the bases on an error and a pair of walks, but a flyout ended the frame.
Neither side was able to get runners into scoring position in the second or third innings. Shorewomen found an opportunity to claim a lead in the fourth. A one-out sequence of a single, infield error, and single loaded the bases, but F&M escaped the inning with a throw to the place on a ground ball to third base followed by a lineout to left.
DelGrippo was awarded with seven runs worth of run support, including three from herself, in the bottom half of the frame. Steiner tripled and was brought home on an
Ellie LoPiccolo ground ball that forced a late throw to the plate. The next sixth runs came with two outs on a run of a Murse RBI double, Garza single, Mundy RBI double, Risnychok RBI single, and DelGrippo's three-run homer.
The Shorewomen cut into the deficit in the fifth, making use of a pair of one-out singles with a two-out single down the right-field line followed by another runner scoring on a wild pitch. They added two more runs in the sixth inning following a leadoff triple, sacrifice bunt, and a single to plate one more run.
Washington College got the tying run to the plate following a pair of leadoff singles, but F&M secured the victory thanks to a flyout, catching a Shorewomen in a rundown in between second and third following a single, and a game-winning strikeout.
Up Next
F&M will host either Haverford, Dickinson, or McDaniel in the play-in game of the Centennial Conference Softball Tournament on Tuesday, April 28. The winner of that game will advance to the four-team, double-elimination phase of the tournament occurring from Thursday, April 30 through Sunday, May 3.
