Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall softball team (8-17, 3-5 Centennial) faces a pair of Centennial Conference opponents this week, as F&M hosts No. 13 Gettysburg on Tuesday before traveling to Dickinson on Saturday. The Diplomats look to improve on a 1-5 performance in the past week. 

Last Week

F&M were kept to just one win last week, as the Diplomats were swept by Muhlenberg and Alvernia in the mid-week before splitting Sunday's series against McDaniel.

F&M won 4-1 in the opener against the Green Terror before falling, 4-0, to conclude the afternoon. A three-run sixth inning for F&M proved enough to earn the win in game one. Alexa Klepper was 3-for-4 with two doubles, one RBI, and one run scored, while Grace Header recorded a pair of hits. Natalia Garza had a double with two RBI, while Gabby Mundy had two sacrifice bunts. In the circle, Charlotte Dwyer earned the win with a five-inning performance where she allowed one earned run, three hits, and two walks with seven strikeouts. Ainsley McClure closed things out by allowing no runs, two hits, and one walk with a strikeout in the final two frames. F&M first got on the board in the top of the third, as Klepper doubled to begin the inning before Mundy bunted her over to third base. A Sophia Noriega sacrifice fly brought the first run home. The Diplomats added three runs to their lead in the top of the sixth. Header and Nora Sidorski kicked off the inning with singles, while a Garza double brought both runners home. Klepper later completed the scoring with a two-out double to bring Garza home from third. McDaniel got one run back in the bottom of the sixth following a leadoff double and one-out single to right-center. McDaniel got two runners on to begin the seventh before McClure closed things out with a popout and two flyouts. McDaniel scored two runs apiece in both the fifth and sixth innings to win game two, 4-0. Mundy led the offense with a pair of singles, while Klepper reached safely twice via a double and a walk. F&M opened the game with a Klepper double and Mundy single, although the Green Terror recovered to record three-straight outs. McClure, who pitched the first four innings, stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the second following three consecutive one-out singles. McDaniel scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, with both runs scoring on a two-out double to right field. They posted two more runs in the sixth inning following a walk, single, and sacrifice bunt sequence that began the frame. From there, an infield single was able to score both runs. F&M loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but they were unable to break the shutout.

Alvernia completed a sweep over F&M on Thursday, winning, 2-0, in game one before earning a 6-5 win in the second game. The Golden Wolves scored one run in the third and seventh innings, respectively, while keeping F&M to four hits in the 2-0 opener. Kate DelGrippo pitched all seven frames with one earned run, seven hits, two walks, and four strikeouts, while Klepper posted a pair of singles, a walk, and stolen base. DelGrippo stranded the bases loaded in the top of the first, while F&M left a pair of runners aboard in the bottom of the second. The next-best chance for either team came in the top of the third, as the first two runners reached safely and got into scoring position. A sacrifice fly brought one run home, while the runner at second was left stranded. Alvernia added one more run in the top of the seventh on a sequence of two straight singles and an infield error before retiring F&M in order in the bottom of the inning. Alvernia broke a 5-5 tie on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh of game two. Erika Stewart, Kate Clement, and Klepper each had two hits, while Klepper led the team with two RBI. The Diplomats got on the board with a run apiece in both the first and second innings. Stewart singled to begin the game, then a sacrifice bunt and single from Klepper brought her home. The Diplomats added one more run on Claire Sullivan's two-out single to left field for a 2-0 lead, although she was later tagged out at the plate to end the inning. Alvernia reversed momentum in the third inning with four runs of their own via four hits and a walk. They tied the game with a two-out single up the middle before adding two runs on a triple down the left-field line. F&M rallied back to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth via a Jaden Spigner single and Catie Kozub RBI groundout. Alvernia claimed a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning via a walk and double with two outs, although F&M tied things up in the bottom of the inning on a run of three-straight singles, including Klepper's RBI single up the middle. Alvernia got a pair of runners into scoring position with one out before scoring the winning run on a two-out wild pitch. The Diplomats got the tying run to second base with two outs, although a popout ended the contest.

F&M suffered a pair of 6-3 losses to Muhlenberg to begin the week on Tuesday evening. Sidorski scored two RBI on a double in game one, while Klepper (2-for-4) and Madison Martin (2-for-3, 1 RBI) each had a pair of hits. McClure pitched the first six innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts. Following a quiet start to the game, F&M posted three runs in the third inning. Mundy and Noriega walked with one out, while Header reached on a dropped third strike to load the bases. Sidorski doubled to bring two runs home, while Martin singled for a third run. The Mules posted two runs in the fourth inning on four hits before tying the game with a triple and sacrifice bunt in the fifth inning. Muhlenbeg later claimed the lead in a three-run seventh inning that included a run of three-straight singles and five total hits. The Diplomats were retired in order in the seventh. Game two saw the Mules erase a 3-0 deficit with two runs in the third inning and four runs in the seventh to secure a sweep. Spigner, Sidorski, and Header each had two hits, while Spigner led the team with two RBI coming via a double. The Diplomats posted all three of their runs in the third inning, as Klepper walked and Mundy reached on an infield error to start the frame. From there, Spigner doubled to left field to score two runs, while a Sidorski single down the right field line brought a third run in. Muhlenberg eventually recovered by stranding the bases loaded and limiting the damage to three runs after letting the first five hitters reach safely. Muhlenberg closed the gap to 3-2 in the third inning. They got two runners into scoring position with one out, while a two-out double down the left-field line brought both runners in. The Mules completed their comeback with a four-run seventh inning that featured six hits, including five-consecutive singles with one out. The F&M offense was kept quiet following the first inning, getting just one runner into scoring position the rest of the way. 

Last Time vs. Gettysburg

Gettysburg allowed just two Diplomats runs across their sweep of F&M last season, earning a 5-0 win in game one before rallying late for a 3-2 walkoff in game two. The Diplomats managed just four hits in the first game, including two from Martin. F&M got two runners aboard with one out in the second inning, but Gettysburg drew a sacrifice bunt and strikeout to escape the inning. Gettysburg got on the board with a run on the board in the fourth inning following a one-out double. Later in the inning, a two out single to the scored a run before F&M escaped a runners-on-the-corners situation with a lineout. Gettysburg struck for four runs in the sixth inning, starting the inning with four consecutive singles, scoring two runs on the last single. A pair of walks later on each brought a run home before a flyout ended the inning with the bases still loaded. 

Game two saw just one base runner across the first two innings before Spigner hit a two-run homer in the third inning to give F&M a 2-0 lead. Gettysburg got two runners on to start the fourth inning before F&M recorded three-straight outs. A Megan Wiarda single and a hit batter got two runners aboard for F&M to start the fifth, although Gettysburg went on to get three-straight outs. A four-hit sixth inning for the Bullets tied things up at 2-2 thanks to three-consecutive doubles to lead off the inning. With runners on second and third with one out, the Diplomats recorded a fielder's choice play at the plate and a popout to leave the game tied. F&M was retired in order in the seventh, and Gettysburg was swift to earn the walkoff win in the bottom of the inning. They opened the inning with two singles and a walk before winning the game on a single to center. McClure pitched the first five innings with two earned runs, seven hits, two walks, and two strikeouts. 

No. 13 Gettysburg Team Preview

The No. 13 Bullets (27-4, 7-1 Centennial) went 3-1 in Centennial Conference action last week, earning a pair of run-rule victories over Dickinson on Tuesday before splitting at Swarthmore on Saturday.

Gettysburg earned a 9-0 win in game one against Dickinson before earning a 13-5 victory in the second contest. The Bullets totaled six extra base hits in the 9-0 victory to open the doubleheader, while Paige Forry allowed just two hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over five innings of scoreless service. Anika Pelekis led the offense, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, a double, a triple, and one run scored. Gettysburg struck for seven runs on six hits, including three doubles and a triple, in the bottom of the first. They added one run apiece in the second and third innings, while Forry retired the last nine batters in order to secure a 9-0 run-rule win. Gettysburg had to erase an early 3-0 deficit in game two, scoring a combined 11 runs in the fourth and fifth innings in a 13-5 win. Forry stepped up in relief in game two, posting an earned run, two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts across an additional five innings of work. Morgan DeFreitas was 3-for-4 with four RBI and a double, while Jamie Shaw went 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Audrey Bergan and Carlie Goldstein each recorded two RBI. The first five Dickinson batters reached base safely, scoring three runs in the process. Forry returned to the circle at this point and stranded a pair of runners in scoring position with three-straight outs. The Bullet closed the gap with two runs in the third inning on a run of singles. Dickinson added to their lead in the top of the fourth inning on a two-out single for a 4-2 advantage. The lead was short lived, as the Bullets posted five runs in the bottom half of the furth, scoring the go-ahead run on an  RBI groundout from Bergan. Dickinson stayed in the fight in the fifth inning, scoring one more run on a two-out double, although Gettyburg reached the run rule in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring six runs on six singles and a pair of errors from the Red Devils, securing the walk-off on an infield error. 

Gettysburg was kept to a split against Swarthmore, falling, 6-1, in game one before winning game two, 7-4. DeFreitas had the lone run for the Bullets on a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Swarthmore rallied for a one-run lead with two outs in the first inning, scoring a run on a walk, hit batter, single sequence. After stranding three runners in the second inning, Gettysburg fired back by tying things up on DeFrietas' sacrifice fly, making use of an earlier Swarthmore error. Swarthmore responded immediately with four runs in the bottom half of the third. They added one insurance run in the six inning while keeping Gettysburg hitless in the last four innings. Forry earned a complete game win in the second game, allowing just three runs despite 11 hits from Swarthmore. Elliana Hopple was 2-for-4 with three RBI, a double, and one run scored, while Bergan went 3-for-5 with one RBI and two runs scored. Across the contest, Gettysburg made forward progress with three successful sacrifice bunts, four stolen bases, and one sacrifice fly.  A pair of two-out singles gave them a 2-0 lead, while Swarthmore made use of a leadoff error in the bottom of the first, scoring one run on a two-out single. The Bullets added one run to their lead in the second inning on a sacrifice fly. Swarthmore tied the game with a run apiece in the third and fourth innings, drawing level at 3-3. Hopple scored the eventual game-winning run with a one-out double in the top of the fifth for a 4-3 lead. The Bullets added three runs in the sixth inning, including two more RBI from Hopple on a two-out single. They eventually won 7-4, giving up one run in the bottom of the seventh. 

Among Centennial Conference teams, the Bullets lead the way in batting average (.337), on-base percentage (.415), hits (284), and RBI (179), while they are second in slugging percentage (.437) and doubles (46). The pitching has the second-best ERA (2.00), second-most strikeouts (176), and second-lowest opponent batting average (.242). Among Centennial players, Bergan is first in on-base percentage (.575), second in batting average, (.495), fourth in OPS (1.169), and fifth in slugging percentage (.594). She also ranks first in runs (36), second in hits (50), second in walks (18), and tied for third in triples (3). Forry has pitched 131.1 innings, which is 10.1 innings more than anyone else across DIII. She ranks first in wins (19, leads DIII) ERA (1.01 (23rd in DIII)), second in opponent batting average (.189), first in strikeouts (143 (3rd in DIII)), first in looking strikeouts, and second in saves (3). 

Last Time vs. Dickinson

Dickinson secured a pair of one-run wins over F&M last year, winning 1-0 in game one and 5-4 in game two. Game one featured just five hits across the board, with Dickinson finding the game's lone run via a bases-loaded walk. Dwyer gave up one earned run with three hits, eight walks, and five strikeouts, while Klelpper had a hit and a stolen base. Dickinson loaded the bases via two walks and a single before scoring the game's lone run on a walk with two outs. Dickinson also got two runners aboard with one out in the fourth inning but were unable to add to their lead. Noriega broke up Dickinson's no hitter with a two-out single in the fourth inning. With the game still at 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Klepper singled and Noriega walked to start the inning, while they both got into scoring position with a groundout to the right side. With the winning run at second, Dickinson struck out the next two batters to earn the win. 

Dickinson broke a 2-2 deadlock through two innings with a run apiece over the next three innings in a 5-4 defeat of F&M in game two. Noriega and Garza both went 2-for-4, while Alexa Klepper tallied a triple. Maddy Yeingst reached base via three walks. F&M opened the scoring with one run in the first inning following a Garza leadoff single and walks to load the bases. From there, Noriega singled to left field before a double play and flyout killed the Diplomats' early rally. Dickinson earned their first lead of the game with two runs in the second inning starting with two singles. This was followed by an infield error to score one run, while the second run scored on a sacrifice fly. F&M swiftly tied the game following a leadoff Yeingst walk, an error, and a sacrifice bunt to get two runners in scoring position. A fielder's choice scored one run, but Dickinson recorded two-straight outs to escape the frame with two runners in scoring position. They went on to tally a run apiece over the next three innings to lead 5-2. The Diplomats cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the fifth, starting the inning with a Klepper triple and a Noriega double. She scored via back-to-back groundouts. F&M was unable to get a runner into scoring position in the sixth or seventh inning. 

Dickinson Team Preview

Dickinson (13-17, 2-8 Centennial) fell in four Centennial Conference games in the last week, falling in a sweep to No. 13 Gettysburg on Tuesday before dropping both contests against Ursinus on Sunday. 

Gettysburg earned a pair of run-rule wins over Dickinson on Tuesday, as the Red Devils fell, 9-0 and 13-5, in five innings. Gettysburg used a seven-run first inning in game one while keeping Dickinson to just two hits for a 9-0 victory. The Red Devils carried a 3-0 lead through two innings in game two, although Gettysburg rallied back with 11 runs in the fourth and fifth inning in a 13-5 defeat. Marah Goldman was 1-for-2 with two RBI, a double, and one walk, while Jessie Sandusky went 2-for-3 with a triple, one RBI, and one run scored.  Sandusky's triple began a run of five-straight batters reaching safely to begin the game. By that point, three runners crossed the plate. Gettysburg made a pitching substitution, as they put their game one starter back in the circle. She shut down the next three batters, leaving two runners stranded. The next scoring came from Gettysburg in the bottom of the third, as they strung together several singles to bring two runs home. The Red Devils added one run in the top of the fourth on an RBI single from Sandusky, but Gettysburg claimed the lead in the bottom half of the inning on five runs, three hits, and an error. Dickinson closed the gap with a Lauren Routzahn Routzahn double in the fifth for a 7-5 scoreline, but Gettysburg reached the run rule in the bottom of the inning with six runs from six hits and a pair of errors.

Ursinus held Dickinson to just one run over two games in Sunday's doubleheader, as the Red Devils fell 5-0 in game one and 6-1 in game two. Kaylie Renner had two hits in game one, while Sandusky recorded the team's long extra base hit on a double. Erin McMahon pitched all seven innings with three earned runs, eight hits, seven walks, and seven strikeouts. Ursinus struck first with one run in the top of the first, as the leadoff runner bunted on base and stole second base. An error on the following sacrifice bunt allowed the runner to score from second, although three-straight strikeouts soon ended the inning. McMahon stranded a combined five base runners in the fourth and fifth innings, although Ursinus broke away with two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. They scored two runs in the sixth on a two-out fielding error that brought home a pair of runners that walked on. Two more scored in the seventh on a run of three-straight singles. Ursinus broke clear 6-0 through four innings in the second game while keeping Ursinus to one run and three hits. Abby Kohan had two of the hits for Dickinson, both were doubles, while Renner had the team's lone RBI on a sacrifice fly. Urisnus brought two runs home on a two-out sequence of a walk, double, and single, while they pulled away in the fifth inning with a grand slam that moved them ahead 6-0. Dickinson added one run on Renner's one-out sacrifice fly to end the game at 6-1.

The Red Devils have the fifth-best ERA in the Centennial Conference (3.61) and the third-most strikeouts (116), while they are tied for the third-most stolen bases (49). Sandusky ranks third in the conference in stolen bases (12) and ninth in runs scored. Eden Blanker is tied for fourth in doubles (9), tied for third in triples (3), tied for ninth in slugging percentage (.552,), and tied for ninth in hits (32). Jane Lloyd has drawn a conference-best 19 walks.

F&M Among Centennial Conference Sides (As of 4/14/2025)

T-2nd in Fewest Passed Balls (3)
T-3rd in Sacrifice Flies (10)
4th in Strikeouts (108)
4th in Walks (67)
T-5th in Fielding Percentage (.952)
T-5th in Runners Caught Stealing (4)

F&M Individuals in the Centennial Conference Top 10 (Among Qualifying Players, As of 4/14/2025)

Batting Average
1. Alexa Klepper (.500)

On-Base Percentage
2. Alexa Klepper (.536)

Slugging Percentage
2. Alexa Klepper (.710)
9. Jaden Spigner (.552)

OPS
1. Alexa Klepper (1.246)

Doubles
T-8. Alexa Klepper (7)

Triples
T-3. Alexa Klepper (3)

Home Runs
T-6. Jaden Spigner (2)

Walks
T-5. Natalia Garza (12)

Sacrifice Hits
T-6. Sophia Noriega (2)

Sacrifice Hits
T-3. Gabby Mundy (5)

ERA
6. Ainsley McClure (2.40)

Strikeouts
7. Ainsley McClure (43)

Looking Strikeouts
T-5. Ainsley McClure (14)

Putouts
8. Jaden Spigner (104)

Fielding Percentage
T-1. Natalia Garza (1.000)