GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College baseball team closed its 2021 campaign with a pair of setbacks at the hands of Franklin & Marshall College (9-4, 9-3 CC) Saturday afternoon at Kirchhoff Field. The Diplomats won the opening game 12-3 and took game two 5-2. Gettysburg (4-10, 4-10 CC) also recognized its nine graduating players prior to the start of the opening game.
Game One Summary
Gettysburg's Top Performers
F&M's Top Performers
- Will Samuel: 2-5, 3B, HR, 2 Runs, 2 RBI
- J.J. Freeman: 2-4, 2 Runs, 3 RBI
- Kyle Roche: Win (6-0), 7 IP, 2 Runs (0 Earned), 12 Ks
Breakdown
- Franklin & Marshall jumped out with three runs in their opening at bat. After a lead-off single to center field by Matt Gluck, Samuel parked the first offering he saw from senior Dan Ball (Bernardsville, N.J./Bernards) over the trees outside the right-field fence. Michael Cole added a run-scoring single later in the frame.
- The Diplomats added an unearned run in the second before jumping in front 7-0 on a two-run single by Pat Elliot and an RBI double by Tommy Denlinger in the third inning.
- Gettysburg's bats found the going tough against Roche, who retired six of the first 12 batters he saw by strikeout. The Bullets cracked the scoring column in the fifth inning thanks in part to some fielding miscues by the visitor's. Junior Mark Seibert (Yardley, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) and Wolf scored unearned runs in the inning, the former coming home on a sacrifice fly by freshman Andrew Donlan (Haddam, Conn./Avon Old Farms) and the latter scoring on an error by the third baseman.
- Freeman provided most of the remaining offense for F&M, bringing home one run with a single in the seventh and plating two more with a single through the right side in the eighth to put the score at 12-2.
- After a scoreless inning of work on the mound by junior Tyler Carmolingo (Mullica Hill, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep), Gettysburg managed to tack on a final run on a fielder's choice by Decker in the bottom of the ninth.
Game Two Summary
Gettysburg's Top Performers
F&M's Top Performers
- Jakob Hoffman: 3-4, 2 3B, RBI
- Steven Rizzo: 1-3, HR, Run, RBI
- Matt Devlin: W (3-3), 5 IP, 4 Hits, 0 Runs, 6 Ks, 4 BB
Breakdown
- Hoffman brought home the game's first run with a triple to right-center, but he was left at the hot corner as Wortmann fanned Elliott.
- Wortmann struck out a pair of batters in the second inning before getting into a jam in the third. Back-to-back hit-by-pitches opened the frame with the lead runner coming home on a hot-shot single that bounced off the pitcher's glove. The second run came home on a double-steal attempt and the Diplomats' final tally of the inning was the result of an error. F&M extended the lead to 5-0 when Rizzo led off the fifth inning with a solo home run to left field.
- The Bullets knocked on the door all day and put runners in scoring position in the third, fourth, and fifth innings before finally cashing in during the sixth. Senior Matt Szczesny (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) led off with a triple to right-center and scored on a single to right by Seibert.
- Wortmann, senior Myles Burbank (Rye, N.Y./Rye), and sophomore Kenneth Spadaccini (Cresskill, N.J./Cresskill) held the Diplomats scoreless over the final five innings.
- In the bottom of the ninth, Decker laced a triple – the fifth in the game by both teams – to deep center field and scored on a sacrifice fly by Donlan to set the final score.
Senior Day
Prior to the game, Gettysburg recognized its nine graduating players: Short, Szczesny, Wolf, Wortmann, Burbank, Ball, Carmolingo,
Alex Reimold (Woodbury, Conn./Nonnewaug) and
Kurtis Grey (Plymouth, Mass./Rising Tide Charter).
Where the Series Stands
Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall have been playing on the diamond since 1892. The Bullets lead the age-old rivalry 115-66-1.
