Box Score

GETTYSBURG, Pa. –Gettysburg's bid to knock off league-leading Franklin & Marshall came up short on Good Friday as the visiting Diplomats rallied for three runs in the ninth inning and brought around the go-ahead run in the 11th to secure an 8-7 Centennial Conference victory. The Bullets dropped to 13-14 overall and 6-4 in the CC with the loss, while F&M moved to 15-9-1 and 8-2.

Gettysburg jumped all over Diplomat starter Mike Duranti in the opening three innings, posting six runs and 10 hits. After a run scored on a wild pitch in the first, sophomore Matt Karis (Southborough, Mass./Noble & Greenough) knocked home another run with an RBI single. The Bullets added three in the second, highlighted by a Craig Barrows (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park) run-scoring single, and tallied one run in the third on a double by Chris Simard (Lexington, Mass./Belmont Hill).

Franklin & Marshall weathered the storm and Duranti regained composure, limiting the Bullets to just a pair of hits in his final three innings. Beginning in the first inning, the Diplomats scored runs every-other frame, including a home run to left in the third by Blue Wells.

Trailing 6-4 in the ninth with a runner on first and two outs on the board, F&M busted out the rally monkey and posted three-consecutive singles, the last by Bill Murray giving the visitors their first lead of the contest 7-6.

Gettysburg rebounded in the bottom half of the frame with some help from the Diplomats defense. Two Bullets reached base via errors and freshman Drew Roy (Needham, Mass./Needham) took advantage with a two-out, RBI single to left. With the winning run sitting on third, Brendan McCreary got Kevin Langhauser (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge) to ground into a fielder's choice at second base.

F&M put a runner on third in the 10th, but came up empty. After the hosts went down quietly in the bottom of the inning, the Diplomats lead-off batter was hit by a pitch to start the 11th and advanced to second on a sacrifice. Murray struck again for the visitors, knocking in the go-ahead run with a single to left-center.

Chris Miller got each of the first two outs in the bottom of the 11th before walking Karis, but a sharp liner by Barrows was snagged by the shortstop to end the game.

Miller (1-1) picked up the victory after walking one and striking out one in two innings of work. Junior Michael Sweeney (Bethesda, Md./St. Anselm's Abbey) took the loss (1-3) after surrendering four hits and one run in 2.1 innings.

Karis led Gettysburg with three hits and an RBI. He also tossed the first 6.1 innings, giving up eight hits, four runs, two walks, and striking out two. Simard, Barrows, and junior Mike Backus (Piscataway, N.J./Immaculata) each posted a pair of base knocks, with Backus scoring twice.

Murray finished 3-for-6 with two RBI and one run for F&M. Matt Will posted a pair of hits, an RBI, and two runs, while Shea Moriarty scored twice.

Gettysburg turns right back around tomorrow (April 11) for a doubleheader at Swarthmore College beginning at 12:30 p.m.