Game Notes

The Diplomats (5-9) prepare to open the Centennial Conference slate with doubleheaders against Swarthmore on Tuesday and Haverford on Saturday. They'll also face non-conference Lebanon Valley on Wednesday in the team's home opener. 

Last Week

Franklin & Marshall played one series last week, as they were swept by No. 23 Moravian last Tuesday. 

The Diplomats offense was shut down in a 3-0 loss in the first game of the day. Charlotte Dwyer pitched five innings with three earned runs, four hits, and three strikeouts, while Madison Martin had a double. Claire Sullivan drew two walks. Moravian got on the board in the bottom of the first with a solo homer. F&M's best chance came in the fifth inning with two outs. Martin doubled, Sullivan singled, and Natalia Garza singled to load the bases. Moravian escaped with a groundout back to the pitcher. The Greyhounds added two runs to their lead in the fifth inning, as they got two runners into scoring position with two outs. A triple brought both runners home. F&M got a runner into scoring position with one out in the seventh inning, but Moravian generated a strikeout and groundout to maintain their shutout. 

F&M were ahead 6-4 before succumbing to a six-run fifth inning in a 11-6 loss in the second game. Gabby Mundy had two RBI, while Erika Stewart went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. Martin was 2-for-3 with an RBI and one run scored. Following an up-and-down first inning F&M got on the board in the second inning. Following back-to-back errors from Moravian to put two runners into scoring position, Nora Sidorski brought one runner home with an RBI groundout. The Greyhounds countered with a three-run second inning, also making use of a pair of errors from their opponents. F&M got back within a run in the third following leadoff singles from Stewart and Martin. This was followed by back-to-back groundouts to bring one run home. F&M reclaimed the lead in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs on four hits. After loading the bases with one out, a Martin single scored one run, while a Garza sacrifice fly brought the next run home. Mundy singled to center, then a Sophia Noriega RBI infield single ended scoring in the inning. Moravian struck for sixth runs on seven hits, including three doubles, in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 10-6 lead. They allowed just one Diplomat baserunner in the last two innings, while they added one run in the sixth inning for an 11-6 final scoreline. 

Last Time vs. Swarthmore

F&M wrapped up 2024 with a pair of one-run losses to Swarthmore last season, losing game one 7-6 and game two 3-2. F&M kicked off game one with a three-run first where Noriega doubled to score two and Kaitlin Herrick scored another via an RBI single. Swarthmore fired right back with four runs, starting by loading the bases with no outs. A hit batter and two-run double followed, while they capped the inning with a bases-loaded walk before F&M retired three in a row to escape with the bases loaded and down by just a run. The Diplomats added an insurance run in the fifth inning, as Alexa Klepper singled aboard and scored an at-bat later on a throwing error on a Maddy Yeingst sacrifice bunt. F&M took the lead in the sixth inning, as Jaden Spigner got aboard on a leadoff double and scored via back-to-back sacrifice bunts for a 5-4 lead. Down to their final out, the Garnet tied the game on a single to left field after their leadoff batter bunted to get aboard and stole second. To begin extra innings, F&M scored their runner from second base via a passed ball, but they stranded a pair of runners. In the bottom of the eighth, Swarthmore's free runner advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, while another batter was hit to put runners on the corners. That runner then stole a base to put the winning run on second base. An infield error with two outs scored both runs for a walk-off victory for the hosts. 

Swarthmore gained the early advantage in game two via a two-out double in the first inning and a two-out single in the sixth inning to lead 2-0 heading into the seventh inning. Swarthmore's Lane Barron carried a one-walk no-hitter into the seventh inning, but Yeingst broke up the no-hitter bid with a one-single to left center. Noriega walked, followed by a fielder's choice that put runners on the corners with two outs. A successful double steal put the gap at one, while a Sullivan RBI single tied things up heading into the bottom of the seventh. Swarthmore countered the rally with a one-out bunt single and walk, while a wild pitch put the winning run at third base. A single to left field a batter later secured the sweep for the Garnet. Ainsley McClure pitched the first six innings and allowed two earned runs, six hits, a walk, and earned eight strikeouts. 

Swarthmore Team Preview

The Garnet (15-7, 2-0 Centennial) head into Tuesday's matchup with a nine-game winning streak dating back to March 18, while the Garnet have posted a 3-3 record against ranked opponents to date. Swarthmore played three series last week, securing home sweeps against Widener and Neumann in the midweek before opening the Centennial Conference slate with two wins over Muhlenberg. They won the first game 10-0 in six frames before completing the sweep with a 6-4 victory in the second game of the day. 

Lilly Goldberg pitched six scoreless innings across the two games against Muhlenberg, and she has not given up an earned run in 15.2 innings. She started in game one, going four innings with three hits, no walks, and five strikeouts. Olivia McClammy became the new program record holder for runs scored, as she surpassed Marit Vike '19 who totaled 109 runs in her career. Game one saw the Garnet post three runs in the third, fourth, and sixth innings, while the pitching staff limited the Mules to just four hits. McClammy was 2-for-2 with five RBI, two runs scored, a homer, and one walk. Catherine Heflin opened the game with a solo homer, going 2-for-3 with an RBI, two runs scored, the home run, and a double. Lane Barron pitched the first five innings of game two, allowing three earned runs, five hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Goldberg returned for the last two innings, earning a save while allowing no earned runs, one hit, one walk, with two strikeouts. The Mules took the lead with one run in the first inning, but Swarthmore quickly claimed the lead in the second on Emilee Espinoza's two RBI single. Muhlenberg tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth inning, and the Garnet reclaimed the lead once again with a four-run sixth inning highlighted by a three RBI double from Emily Bertrand. Muhlenberg shrank the lead to 6-4 with a pair of runs in the fifth inning, but they managed just one baserunner in the final two innings. 

Swarthmore swept Neumann by 3-1 and 4-0 scorelines on Thursday. Game one saw Rae Barron pitch 6.2 innings with one earned run, nine hits, three walks, and five strikeouts, while Bertrand struck out the final batter for a one-out save. First-year pitcher Lia Fong had a one-hit complete-game shutout in the second game, as she posted nine strikeouts across the seven inning including a streak of eight-straight hitters. McClammy totaled four hits, two doubles, and two RBI across the two games, while Bertrand was 2-for-3 in each game with two RBI across the day. The Garnet utilized the run rule in both of their victories against Widener, earning a 9-1 win in six innings in the first game before winning game two by a 10-2 scoreline in five innings. Goldberg pitched 5.2 innings with no earned runs, three hits, a walk, and six strikeouts to earn the win in game one. The best offensive performances in the first game came from Kate Borza (2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB) and Iris Barone (3-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 R, 2 SB). Game two saw Rae Barron pitch five innings of scoreless softball with five hits, six walks, and two strikeouts. Regan Valenzuela was 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Avery McClure went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, a run scored, and a double. 

The Garnet pitching staff has the Centennial Conference's second-lowest ERA (2.08) and the lowest opponent batting average (.233). Their offense ranks fourth in batting average (.302), tied for third in on-base percentage (.374), and third in slugging percentage (.404), while they have the conference's second-best fielding percentage (.953). Fong has the second-best ERA in the conference (1.69), while Goldberg is third (1.72) Fong leads the way in opponent batting average (1.64), while Goldberg also ranks third in that category (.220). McClammy ranks fourth in OPS (1.198), third in slugging percentage (.719), sixth in batting average (.422), and eight in on-base percentage (.479). She is tied for the most RBI (31), while she ranks third in home runs. Barone leads the team with eight stolen bases, which is tied for the fifth-most among Centennial players. 

Last Time vs. Lebanon Valley

F&M's trip to Annville last season resulted in a pair of four-run losses, as Lebanon Valley completed a series sweep. F&M lost game one 5-1 and were unable to get a hit through the first four innings. The Dutchmen got on the board in the first inning, as two singles put runners on the corners with one out. From there, a double steal attempt was successful before F&M stranded a pair of runners. The hosts added three runs in a six-hit inning. At one point, LVC notched three-consecutive three-out singles before stranding two runners on a flyout. F&M's Herrick registered the team's first hit of the game to a sacrifice bunt saw Herrick advance all the way to third, then a Megan Wiarda groundout got F&M on the board, down 4-1. The Dutchmen neutralized that run with a one-out solo homer to left field, while neither side got into scoring position the rest of the way.

A four-run third inning for LVC in the bottom of the third inning opened scoring in game two, as they kicked off the inning by getting three runners aboard. A fielder's choice scored one, while a later bases-loaded triple to right field completed the scoring in the frame. A four-run top of the fourth erased the hosts' lead, and it started with back-to-back one-out singles from Herrick and Ayla Steinberg. A Noriega double scored one, followed by a Kate Clement single to right. She stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Two batters later, Yeingst cleared the bases with a two-run single up the middle. The deadlock was broken via a four-run sixth inning for LVC that included two errors from F&M. All four runs for LVC came with two outs on a run of a single, a walk, and two more singles.

Lebanon Valley Team Preview

The Dutchmen went 4-2 last week including a sweep of Delaware Valley in their Centennial Conference opener on Saturday. They were swept at No. 17 Gettysburg on Thursday, while they earned a pair of five-inning wins over Alvernia. 

LVC won game one against the Aggies, 11-1, in five innings before winning 9-2 to conclude Saturday's doubleheader. Maddy Gronback combined for four RBI and her first collegiate homer run, while Emily Mitchell had six hits and two RBI across the day. Holly Grube got the start in the circle in game one, and she pitched all five innings with one earned run, three hits, two walks, and one strikeout. Abby Reed had a complete game in the second game with two earned runs, minimizing the damage on 11 hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. In game one, the Dutchmen scored two runs in the second and third innings each before striking for seven runs in the fourth inning for an 11-0 lead. The 11 runs is the most scored by Lebanon Valley in a single game this season. Delaware Valley took an early 2-0 lead in the second game with a pair of runs in the first inning. The Dutchmen directly countered with four runs of their own in the bottom of the first, and then scored five runs over the next three innings to lead 9-2, completing scoring from both sides in the contest. 

Gettysburg earned 8-1 and 10-4 victories over the Dutchmen on Thursday. LVC was kept to just five hits in the first game while the Bullets posted eight runs on 13 hits. LVC took a 2-0 lead through one inning in game two before falling behind 6-2 through four innings. Two runs in the fifth inning reduced the deficit before Gettysburg built a gap with a three-run sixth. Gronback went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a double, while Grube totaled three hits, two runs scored, and an RBI. Lebanon Valley started the week with a sweep of Alvernia, earning a 10-2 win in game one before a 9-1 victory in game two. Grube was a triple short of the cycle in game one, going 3-for-4 with a double, homer, two RBI, and two runs scored. Mitchell led the team with five RBI, hitting 3-for-3. In the circle, Grube pitched all five innings with one earned run and five hits. The Dutchmen were cruising following a six-run first inning including a three-RBI double from Mitchell. Erin Pattillo had three RBI on a double in game two, and Katie Muller recorded a team-high three hits. Reed pitched all five frames with one earned run, five hits, a walk, and two strikeouts. 

Among MAC Freedom teams, LVC ranks third in batting average (.319), second in doubles (37), third in RBI (102), and fourth in on-base percentage (.381). The pitching staff has the fourth-best ERA (3.58). The defense leads the conference in fielding percentage (.966), while they are tied for the lowest stolen-bases allowed percentage (.750). Mitchell leads the conference in batting average (.577) and ranks second in on-base percentage (.577), third in slugging percentage (.654), and third in OPS (1.231). Nicole Kratz is tied for fourth in doubles (7), while Grube is tied for third in hits (31). Bella Mackison is tied for seventh in RBI (15). In the circle, Grube is fourth in opponent batting average (.238) and eighth in ERA (2.52).

Last Time vs. Haverford

F&M's sweep of Haverford last season produced 18 runs across the two games with a 8-0 shutout in five innings in game one and a 10-6 win in game two. They kicked off game one by loading the bases with no outs for Noriega, who singled to left for the first run of the game. One at-bat later, Martin batted in two runners on a double to left center, although stalled the rally with three straight outs. F&M stranded a pair of runners in scoring position in the top of the second, and later added to their lead with two runs in the third inning. Yeingst and Noriega opened the bottom of the third with singles, while they each respectively scored on sacrifice bunts for a 5-0 lead. The Diplomats completed scoring in game one in the bottom of the fourth, as Klepper doubled a run in and later stole home on a double steal with runners on the corners. Dwyer allowed no earned runs and four hits with two strikeouts across five innings.

Haverford opened game two with a pair of runs in the first inning via a double. The Diplomats struck for seven runs over the next two innings in response. A Yeingst single opened the scoring in the first, then Martin later brought two runs home on a triple to the right-center gap. Wiarda completed the scoring with a single to left field to score one to bring the lead to 4-2. Klepper opened a three-run second inning with an RBI double, while the next run scored on an error in the outfield. A double for Martin scored the last run of the frame. Haverford scored one run on a solo home run in the top of the third inning, while F&M made use of an earlier error to score a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI groundout. Haverford scored one run in the fifth inning to get back within four runs, but F&M countered with back-to-back homers from Wiarda and Hannah Matusiak. Haverford scored two runs in the seventh inning but were unable to get any closer to give F&M a sweep. McClure pitched 6.1 innings with four earned runs, ten hits, a walk, and six strikeouts. 

Haverford Team Preview

The Fords (9-9, 1-1 Centennial) went 1-3 last week, as they split their Centennial Conference opener against Dickinson on Saturday after being swept by Penn State Brandywine on Tuesday. After the time of writing, they'll host Ursinus on Tuesday and travel to Immaculata on Thursday ahead of facing the Diplomats on Saturday. 

Haverford won game one against Dickinson, 5-4, before falling in game two to the Red Devils, 6-3. The first game saw the Fords go up 4-0 in the first inning before Dickinson roared to life with a three-run sixth inning to tie the game. Addie Sapirstein plated the game-winning run on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth. Clarissa Smith earned the win in relief, allowing no earned runs and two walks and 1.1 innings to conclude the game. Jocelyn Leal brought home all four runs for Haverford in the first inning on a grand slam that hit the left-field foul pole before Dickinson recorded a single out. The game went quiet until the fifth inning, as Dickinson scored one run on a two-out single. They then struck for three runs on four hits in the sixth inning, including a two-out two RBI double to tie the game. Maddie Etheridge was hit with one out in the sixth inning, then Kamaha'o Bode singled. A wild pitch moved the duo into scoring position, setting the stage for Sapirstein's RBI groundout. Dickinson consistently pulled away in game two, leading 6-0 through five innings before stalling a comeback from Haverford to win 6-3. Sapirstein led the team with three hits in the game, while Lauren Martin had a triple. Rachel McQueen started the game, pitching four innings with two earned runs, five hits, and one strikeout. Kaleigh Bodak had no earned runs in the final three innings with three hits, a walk, and two strikeouts.

Penn State Brandywine limited Haverford to one run over 12 innings on Tuesday, as Haverford lost 3-1 in the first game before losing 8-0 in five innings in game two. Brandywine scored two runs in the second inning in game one to take an early lead. Haverford responded with one run in the third inning via a Mia Kessinger sacrifice fly to left field. Brandywine added one run in the sixth inning following an error to let a runner aboard. The Fords got runners into scoring position in the seventh inning following a single from Sapirstein and double from Grace Stowe to get two runners into scoring position with no outs. A lineout double play and popout swiftly ended the game. The Lions struck for seven runs, including five unearned, in the second inning of game two while limiting Haverford to three hits. Leal had Haverford's lone extra-base hit, a double. McQueen and Stowe allowed one earned run in the last 3.1 innings in relief. Lauren Lamme pitched five innings with two earned runs, seven hits, and two strikeouts. 

Haverford's offense leads the Centennial Conference in slugging percentage (.452) while they have the third-best batting average (.311) and on-base percentage (.374). The pitching staff has the fourth-best ERA (3.51) and third-lowest opponent batting average (.263). Bode leads the conference in slugging percentage (.769) and OPS (1.238), while Kessinger is fifth in batting average (.424) and sixth in both slugging percentage (.644) and OPS (1.082). Kessinger has tripled the most in the Centennial (4), while Bode is second in home runs (5).  Lame is tied for fifth in opponent batting average (.236) with McQueen and ranks eighth in ERA (2.60).

F&M Individuals in the Centennial Conference Top 10 (Among Qualifying Players, As of 3/31/25)

Batting Average
4. Alexa Klepper (.467)

On-Base Percentage
7. Alexa Klepper (.484)

Slugging Percentage
2. Alexa Klepper (.733)

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

Triples
T-2. Alexa Klepper (3)

Walks
T-7. Natalia Garza (9)

Sacrifice Flies
T-8. Sophia Noriega (1)
T-8. Natalia Garza (1)

Sacrifice Hits
T-7. Gabby Mundy (2)

ERA
7. Ainsley McClure (2.53)

Strikeouts
T-6. Ainsley McClure (32)

Looking Strikeouts
T-6. Ainsley McClure (9)