Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall softball team (5-7) prepares for its only doubleheader of the week, as they face No. 20 Moravian in Bethlehem on Tuesday, March 25. The Diplomats earned a split in its lone series last week against Penn State Brandywine with a 2-0 loss in game one and 3-2 win in the second game.

Last Week

Franklin & Marshall (5-7) played one doubleheader last week, as they split Thursday at Penn State Brandywine. The Diplomats offense was held to two hits in a 2-0 game-one loss, but F&M bounced back with a 3-2 win in the second game thanks to Grace Header's three-RBI double in the seventh inning.

Kate DelGrippo pitched the first four innings of game one, allowing one earned run, four hits, and one walk with one strikeout. She also had one of F&M's two hits, while Gabby Mundy was 1-for-1 with two walks. F&M's best chance to score came in the fourth inning of a 0-0 ballgame, as Mundy and DelGrippo singled, putting two runs on with one out. Brandywine kept the game tied with a strikeout and infield groundout to keep the game tied. They scored their first run in the bottom of the fourth, using a walk and sacrifice bunt to put a runner in scoring position. From there, a double scored one run. A single and stolen base followed this to put two runners into scoring position, but DelGrippo minimized the damage with a strikeout and popout. Brandywine added their second run in the fifth inning, beginning the inning with a walk, and bunt single, and steal to get two runners into scoring position with no outs. Kayla Kilmer generated three straight fly balls, with just one run scoring on a sacrifice fly. The Diplomats nearly got back into the game, as two runners reached to begin the seventh inning on consecutive errors from the Lions. Brandywine quickly corrected those errors with a fielder's choice and lineout double play to end game one.

Mundy and Sophia Noriega each had two hits in the second game, while Header's lone hit scored three RBI including the game-winner. Ainsley McClure struck out ten hitters, allowing just two earned runs and five hits over six innings. Alex Kilpatrick maintained a one-run lead for her first-career save. Mundy and Noriega singled in the second inning, but Brandywine kept runs off the board in the top of the first. They followed this with their first run in the bottom half of the frame. A one-out single and stolen base was followed by a two-out single for a 1-0 lead. F&M's next-best chance came in the fourth inning. A single to begin the inning was followed by a 6-4-3 double play. From there, singles from Kate Clement and Madison Martin put runners on the corners, but a groundout ended the inning. The next threat came from Brandywine in the sixth inning, as they added one run. Two singles and two stolen bases put two runners into scoring position with no outs. McClure kept the damage low, drawing a strikeout, sacrifice bunt, and groundout to allow just one run to score, putting F&M behind 2-0 heading into the seventh inning. Martin walked followed by singles from Megan Wiarda and Claire Sullivan to load the bases with one out. Header found the left-center gap to bring all three runners home on a double. F&M loaded the bases again, but a strikeout and groundout left their lead at 3-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Kilpatrick allowed just one baserunner on a two-out walk, striking out the last batter for her first save as a Diplomat. 

Last Time vs. Moravian

Following a blowout loss in game one, F&M split last year's series against Moravian with a 2-1 win in game two. Two hit batters got aboard to start game one for the Greyhounds, with the next hitter clearing the bases. Two more runners got into scoring position with no outs, with a two-run single bringing them home. A wild pitch allowed the sixth and final run of the inning to score. They added three runs in the second inning and two runs in the third respectively, while the Diplomats' lone run came via an Alexa Klepper RBI double in the fourth inning.

McClure allowed no earned runs on five hits and five strikeouts in a complete game-victory in game two. A leadoff walk for Natalia Garza in the first inning saw her get to third on a Klepper sacrifice bunt. A Maddy Yeingst RBI single got F&M on the board. Garza scored again in the third inning via a Yeingst single to left, giving McClure enough run support. Moravian came close to leveling the game in the seventh inning, as a runner reached on an infield error with two outs. This was followed by a double to left to score their first run, while the batter advanced to third on an error. A Moravian comeback was denied by a lineout to center. 

Moravian Team Preview

The No. 23 Greyhounds (10-4) went 3-1 in a homestand against Lebanon Valley and Ursinus last week, sweeping the Dutchmen on Tuesday before splitting the day against the Bears on Saturday. 

Moravian won by 3-0 and 4-3 scorelines against Lebanon Valley on Tuesday.  Moravian broke a 0-0 deadlock with three-run sixth inning. Lindsey Gawrys began the rally with a one-walk, while a double from Marcie Silberman got two runners into scoring position. A walk loaded the bases, then a single from Kyra Holtje scored a pair of runs. Ajala Elmore added one more run by the end of the inning. In the circle, Sarah DeStefano recorded her third shutout of the year, striking out a career-best ten batters while allowing just two hits and three walks.  Silberman gave the Greyhounds an early 2-0 advantage with a home run over the center-field fence, while Silberman made it a multi-homer game with a solo shot to left-center on this occasion. LVC drew level with a three-run seventh inning, but Moravian stopped a comeback defeat thanks to DeStefano's two-out RBI single to the right side, as beat the throw to the plate from second base.

The Greyhounds took game one against Ursinus, 6-1, before falling 7-1 in defeat in the second game. The Bears scored their only run of the game in the first inning, but Moravian answered back immediately with a three-run first inning. Holly Walter and Lindsey Gawrys reached safely to begin the frame, then Sage Snyder scored one run on a single. With runners on the corners, Gawrys stole second base, and a pair of errors on the play allowed two more runs to score. Snyder added one more run in the fifth inning on an RBI double to bring the lead to 4-1. Moravian added two more runs in the sixth inning, thanks to three-straight two-out singles from Kaley Hoffman, Walter, and Gawrys. DeStefano delivered yet another complete-game performance, punching out five batters and allowing just one earned run on five hits. In game two, Ursinus scored three runs apiece in the third and fifth innings, pulling ahead 7-0 through five frames. Moravian's lone run came in the sixth inning via a pair of two-out singles from Silberman and Holtje. They loaded the bases in the seventh inning but were unable to bring any runs home. 

Among Landmark Conference sides, Moravian ranks first in slugging percentage (.474) on-base percentage (.419), and stolen bases (25-of-29), second in batting average (.353), home runs (7),  and RBI (85). Their pitching staff ranks first in opponent batting average (.219), fourth in strikeouts, and fifth in ERA (2.69). They have the best fielding percentage in the conference (.967). Silberman has the conference's best slugging percentage (.776) and most home runs (5), while she has the second-highest OPS (1.229). Elmore ranks second in triples (3), while Snyder is tied for the most stolen bases with eight stolen bases from nine attempts. DeStefano leads in both complete games (6) and shutouts (3) while entering the week with a 6-1 record,  leading the Landmark with those six wins. She also has the conference's second-best ERA (0.98) with the second-most strikeouts (40) and third-lowest opponent batting average (.172). Across 43.0 innings of service, she's allowed just one wild pitch, one hit batter, and one home run, and four total extra base hits. 

Moravian is 1-2 against fellow ranked opponents this season, scoring a 16-2 win against No. 9 Trine (Ind.) but falling to No. 6 Virginia Wesleyan, 5-0, and No. 7 Christopher Newport, 8-5.

F&M Among Centennial Conference Sides (As of 3/24/25)

T-2nd in Sacrifice Flies (5)
3rd in Strikeouts (60)
T-3rd in Saves (1)
T-4th in Triples (4)
T-4th in Shutouts (1)
T-4th in Walks (29)

F&M Individuals in the Centennial Conference Top 10 (Among Qualifying Players, As of 3/24/25)

Batting Average
2. Alexa Klepper (.467)

On-Base Percentage
6. Alexa Klepper (.484)
8. Natalia Garza (.464)

Slugging Percentage
3. Alexa Klepper (.733)
7. Kate DelGrippo (.588)

OPS
3. Alexa Klepper (1.217)
10. Kate DelGrippo (.956)

Doubles
9. Kate DelGrippo (4)
10. Sophia Noriega (4)

Triples
2. Alexa Klepper (3)

Walks
5. Natalia Garza (8)

Sacrifice Flies
T-5. Sophia Noriega (1)
T-5. Kate DelGrippo (1)

ERA
6. Ainsley McClure (2.37)

Strikeouts
3. Ainsley McClure (29)

Looking Strikeouts
T-2. Ainsley McClure (9)

Opponent Batting Average
10. Kayla Kilmer (.255)