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EWING, NJ - Pitcher Ted Serro (Jr., Brooklyn, NY/Xavier) struck out 11 batters in seven innings to earn the win as the Franklin & Marshall College baseball team knocked off The College of New Jersey 13-8 in non-conference action. Serro’s strikeout total marks the most K’s by an F&M pitcher since Gordie Eck ’04 struck out 13 batters in six innings in a 4-1 victory over Geneva College on March 9, 2001 in Ft. Pierce, Florida.
The Diplomats gave Serro all of the run support he would need in the first three innings as F&M posted five runs in the first and four in the third for a 9-2 lead. Overall, Pat O’Reilly (Fr., Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) finished three-for-six with three RBI and two runs scored, Rob Stern (Fr., Franklin Lakes, NJ/Indian Hills) was four-for-six with a run scored and Jon Compitello (Jr., Yardley, PA/George School) was one-for-four with three RBI and two runs scored to lead the Diplomats at the plate as Franklin & Marshall collected 17 hits off four TCNJ pitchers. F&M jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning as O’Reilly singled to right centerfield, Stern singled to right field and Gary Kruger (Jr., East Islip, NY/East Islip) singled to right field to load the bases. Corey Caruthers (Jr., Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) then singled to left centerfield to drive in O’Reilly for a 1-0 lead before a wild pitch by TCNJ starting pitcher Vincent Petrillo brought Stern home and advanced the runners to second and third with no outs. Compitello did the rest lifting a three-run homer to right field for a 5-0 lead after the first half inning of play. TCNJ cut the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the second inning as Blake Bullis homered to leftfield and Tom Grohs singled, stole second and scored on an error. Franklin & Marshall responded with four runs in the third inning with two outs as Stephen Frederick (Jr., Downingtown, PA/Downingtown) reached on an error by Petrillo, Eric Milavsky (Jr., Medford, NJ/Shawnee) singled and Tom Miller (Fr., York, PA/Central York) walked to load the bases and drive Petrillo from the game. Facing reliever Brad Downs, O’Reilly singled to drive in two runs. Stern reached on an infield error to reload the bases before Kruger roped a two-run single to right field for a 9-2 lead. The Diplomats tacked on three runs in the fourth inning with two outs as Rich Gallugi (Fr., Peabody, MA/St. John’s Prep) singled to center field and Frederick reached first base on catcher’s interference before Milavsky doubled to left field for two RBI before advancing to third base on the throw home. Following a walk to Miller, O’Reilly singled to right field to drive in Milavsky for a 12-2 lead. The Lions pulled to within eight runs in the fifth with two runs, but F&M added a run in the top of the eighth for a 13-4 lead. However, TCNJ scored four runs in the bottom of the inning to pull to within 13-8 before reliever Dan Tischler (Fr., New York, NY/Horace Mann) shut the door in the ninth striking out the last two batters with two men on. Bullis led the Lions at the plate going three-for-five with two runs
and two RBI, while designated hitter Rich Kropp was two-for-five with three RBI and a run scored. The loss drops TCNJ to 14-3 on the year, snaps a five-game winning streak by the Lions and marks the team’s first home loss of the season. Franklin & Marshall College (4-8, 0-0 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on March 26 at home versus Villa Julie College in a doubleheader at noon on Caplan Field.
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