THE FACTS
Franklin & Marshall (16-10, 3-1) 15, Gettysburg (14-11, 1-3) 3
What: Centennial Conference (CC) baseball game
When: Friday, April 7
Where: Gettysburg, Pa.
THE SKINNY STORY
Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg were tied with a run a piece after the first inning, but the Diplomats plated runs in six of the following eight innings while holding Gettysburg to only two more to sweep the series with a 15-3 win.
THE LEADERS
•
Jack Burke (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) tallied two hits on two appearances, including a run-scoring double.
•
Matthew Peipher (Lititz, Pa./Manheim Twp.) was 2-for-3 and drove in the Bullets' first of the day on a single.
•
Matt Nichols (White Plains, N.Y./Byram Hills) scored the third Gettysburg run on the day, and also hit one single.
FOR THE FOES
• AJ Desautels hit his second home run of the series, and also tallied one additional hit, run, and three RBI. He also drew two walks.
THE REST OF THE STORY
• A hit by pitch, walk, fielder's choice, and throwing error right in a row scored Franklin & Marshall's first run of the game in the top of the first. The Bullets tied it up in the bottom of the inning, however, as
Jack Pistner (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) doubled and
Aaron Kirby (Sandy Hook, Conn./St. Joseph) drew a walk to put runners on first and second. A single from
Matthew Peipher drove Pistner in to put the Bullets on the board. Both teams were kept scoreless in the second inning and tallied no hits.
• In the top of the third, the Diplomats used a throwing error and walk to put two batters on, and a double from Drew Butera drove both runners in to make it a 3-1 lead after three innings.
• Another walk, failed pickoff, and single scored another run for Franklin & Marshall in the top of the fourth inning. Peipher and
Mabret Levant (Lakeville, Pa./Wallenpaupack Area) both singled in the bottom of the inning, but a double play by Franklin & Marshall ended the inning with one left on.
• Franklin & Marshall added another tally on one hit, one walk, and one error in the top of the fifth, and followed up with a one-two-three bottom of the inning to lead 5-1 after five. In the top of the sixth, the Diplomats tallied their third one-run inning in row, with two singles and a failed pickoff attempt, allowing them to bring another home for a five-run advantage.
• The Diplomats had their biggest inning yet in the top of the seventh, plating three runs on three hits. Singles by Butera, Connor Rush, and a walk by Patrick Cettina loaded the bases. After a strikeout, Tommy Denlinger laced a two-out single through the 5-6 hole, and a throwing error cleared the bases for a 9-1 lead. The Bullets were able to get a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the inning. After
Preston Toothman (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone) singled and Levant reached on a fielder's choice,
Emmanuel Ajewole (Floral Park, N.Y./Stony Brook School) singled to put runners on first and second. Levant was caught in a rundown between second and third and was ultimately tagged out, before another fielder's choice ended the inning.
• As they had done in Tuesday's game, Franklin & Marshall used a big inning to break the game open even further. The Diplomats plated six runs on four hits and sent nine batters to the plate. The visitors started the inning with two singles to put a runner in scoring position, and another single by Rush drove in the first run of the inning. Two walks and a sacrifice fly scored two more runs, and with two on, AJ Desautels sent a one-out home run over the fence to clear the bases, making the score 15-1 after eight and a half innings. The Bullets scattered two hits in the bottom of the inning but were held scoreless to trail by 14 going into the final inning.
• Though Gettysburg walked three in the top of the ninth, they managed to prevent Franklin & Marshall from increasing their lead. In the bottom of the inning,
Matt Nichols poked a single through the left side and
Robert Murphy (Berkeley Heights, N.J./Governor Livingston) followed right behind with a single of his own to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch advanced both runners to score Gettysburg's first run since the first inning.
Jack Burke then drove Murphy in with a two-out double to right center to plate Gettysburg's third run before a flyout ended the game, 15-3 Franklin & Marshall.
THE INSIDE STORY
• Both teams tallied 12 hits, but Gettysburg committed six errors while Franklin & Marshall had none.
• Eight different Bullets had one hit on the day.
NEXT UP
Gettysburg returns to action tomorrow in a doubleheader against Muhlenberg. First game will begin at 12 p.m.
