Game Notes

Last Week

Playing three doubleheaders last week, the Diplomats won a pair against Delaware Valley but were swept by both York and Muhlenberg. F&M opened its slate on the road against York, where it fell 4-2 and 5-0. In the frontend of the doubleheader, the Diplomats trailed 3-0 after the first three innings before a wild pitch in the top of the fourth allowed Alexa Klepper to score from third. Later down 4-1 in the top of the seventh, a Hannah Matusiak RBI single knocked in a second run and brought the go-ahead run to the plate with nobody out. However, F&M was unable to sustain the rally, dropping a 4-2 decision. In game two, York scored all five of its runs in the first two innings en route to a shutout of the Diplomats. On the game, F&M was only able to put four runners in scoring position. Read the full recap here. 

The Diplomats then returned home on Thursday for a two-game set against Delaware Valley, which it swept 5-4 and 4-0. Down 3-1 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh of game one, Claire Sullivan came to plate with runners on first and second. She then drilled a fly ball which was dropped by the right fielder, allowing both runners to score and tie the game. In extra innings, F&M allowed a run in the top of the eighth, but immediately evened the score in the bottom of the frame, as Klepper scored on an error. With two outs and Maddie Martin at the plate, the first-year blasted a solo home run to left field to walk it off for the Diplomats. In game two, neither team scored until the bottom of the fifth, in which Alexa Klepper lined a two-run double to center field to break the scoreless tie. After another pair of runs scored for F&M in the bottom of the sixth, Ainsley McClure closed out the game in the top of the seventh for a complete game shutout. Read the full recap here. 

In their final matchup of the week, the Diplomats took on Muhlenberg at home for their Centennial Conference opener. Game one saw F&M take a 1-0 lead before falling behind 4-1 in the top of the third. After another run scored for the Mules in the top of the fourth, the Diplomats got the bottom of the frame started with three straight hits, leading to one run coming in. With the bases loaded in the same inning, Martin walked to bring in another run, but was followed by a Gabby Mundy strikeout to end the stanza. Muhlenberg got the two runs back in the top of the sixth to make it 7-3 before Klepper punched a two-run single to right field in the bottom of the sixth to make it a two-run game again. Despite putting the game-tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh, F&M was unable to complete the comeback, losing 7-5. In the second contest, the Diplomats were blanked 2-0 after recording just two hits. Tied 0-0 in the top of the sixth, the Mules got on the board with a two-out RBI double. They then added an insurance run in the top of the seventh before registering a one-two-three inning in the bottom of the seventh to complete the sweep. Read the full recap here. 

Last Time vs. Ursinus

Hosting the Bears at Baker Campus Fields in 2023, the Diplomats fell to Ursinus 11-6 in a game that was shortened due to darkness. The Bears got off to a quick start in the contest, scoring five runs in the top of the second, four of which came unearned. They then extended the lead to 8-0 over the next two innings, as 14 batters came to the plate and nine reached base safely. However, F&M managed to get on the board in the bottom half of the sixth, as Kat Gunther brought in a run with a double before scoring herself on an RBI single by Claire Sullivan. After the Bears answered with two more runs of their own in the top of the fifth, the Diplomats continued to chip away with a four-run bottom of the fifth. In the inning, Devon Witt drilled a two-run inside-the-park homerun and was followed by a two-run homerun by Gunther. The comeback attempt fell short though, as the game was called off after the end of the inning . Read the full recap here. 

Last Time vs. Lebanon Valley

In a home doubleheader against the Dutchmen in 2018, F&M split the two-game set with LVC. In game one, the Diplomats jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but the Dutchmen responded immediately, posting nine runs in the very next inning. Continuing its momentum, LVC added another three runs in the top of the third to extended its lead to nine. Unable to cut the deficit to less than six for the remainder of the game, F&M suffered a 14-8 loss.

Falling behind 2-0 to start the second tilt, the Diplomats pushed four runs across the plate in the bottom of the first to jump on top. In the top of the third and fourth innings, the Dutchmen scored one run each to tie the game 4-4. F&M then got a pair of runners on base to start the bottom of the fifth before a two-run double by Sammy Burns '18 gave the Diplomats the lead for good. After another run came home for F&M that inning, the Diplomats tacked on two more in bottom of the sixth. Despite LVC scoring a fifth run in the top of the seventh, F&M held on for a 9-5 win. Read the full recap here. 

Ursinus Team Preview

Having dropped three straight tilts, Ursinus comes into the week 8-14 and 0-2 in the conference. Its latest contests include a doubleheader against Washington College in which the Bears were swept 3-1 and 6-3. Last season, the Bears made it to the championship round of the Centennial Conference Tournament but ultimately fell to Swarthmore. Though the team lost five of its seniors from 2023, it brought back 14 players to gear up for another deep run in the postseason. A strong hitting side, the Bears rank 33rd in the nation in total hits with 191. They've recorded 10 games of 10 or more hits, including three in their last four contests. However, Ursinus's team ERA of 4.49 ranks seventh in the conference. 

Currently on a 15-game hitting streak, Samantha Mallen has been the Bears' leading hitter, posting a batting average of .459 with nine RBI and 26 runs scored. Her 39 hits ranks fifth in the country while her 20 stolen bases put her top-15 in division III. Having played all 22 games, the junior has been held hitless in just one contest on the year. She's also the toughest batter to strikeout in the nation, having been punched out once in 85 at-bats. 

Lebanon Valley Team Preview

Fresh off of two straight sweeps, the Dutchmen (RV) enter the week at 14-4 with four straight wins. Ranked No. 19 in the NFCA preseason poll, Lebanon Valley has since dropped out of the top-25 but has still received three votes in the latest poll. Of its four losses, three have come at the hands of other top-25 teams, including one against No. 1 Trine and two against No. 16 Moravian. In 2023,  Lebanon Valley tied its program record of most wins in a single season (36) en route to an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. The Dutchmen then won four games in the regional round before losing back-to-back contests to No. 1 Salisbury in the super regional. 

Boasting a team-ERA of 1.78, Lebanon Valley's rotation has been highlighted by Erin Sinatra, who's thrown complete games in all nine of her appearances. The senior currently holds a 8-1 record with a 1.38 ERA and 58 strikeouts. Additionally, she's tossed a pair of shutouts and has limited opponents to one run or less in six contests.