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LANCASTER, PA – Matt Metsch (Fr., East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) pitched 3.1 innings of relief to earn the win in a 6-4 victory as the Franklin & Marshall College baseball team split a Centennial Conference doubleheader versus Washington College at Caplan Field. In game one, Metsch entered the game with two outs in the fourth inning and allowed one base runner the rest of the way via a walk as the Diplomats rallied from a 4-3 deficit to win 6-4 in seven innings. The Shoremen jumped out to a 1-0 lead on the first pitch of the game from F&M starter EJ Leary (Sr., Seymour, CT/Seymour) as leadoff batter Zach Huba homered to right field. The Diplomats took the lead in the bottom of the first as Rob Stern (So., Franklin Lakes, NJ/Indian Hills) walked and stole second base before Dan Hanecak (Sr., Conestoga, PA/Lancaster Catholic) singled to left field and Gary Kruger (Sr., East Islip, NY/East Islip) walked to load the bases. Pat O’Reilly (So., Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) grounded out to score Stern and Corey Caruthers (Sr., Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) singled to center field to drive in Hanecak for a 2-1 lead. Washington tied the game in the second as James Tidwell doubled and scored on a single to centerfield by Huba to knot the game at 2-2. Franklin & Marshall regained the lead in the third inning as Tom Miller (So., York, PA/Central York) reached on a throwing error and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Hanecak walked to put runners on the corners and Kruger doubled to left field to drive in Miller for a 3-2 lead. Washington answered in the fourth as the Shoremen strung together three hits, a fielding error, a passed ball and a stolen base for two runs and a 4-3 lead. The lead lasted an inning as F&M put up two runs in the fifth to go ahead to stay 5-4. Miller bunted for a single to lead off the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch before Stern walked and Eric Milavsky (Sr., Medford, NJ/Shawnee), who replaced Hanecak in the top of the fourth, bunted for a single to load the bases. Kruger flied out to centerfield to score Miller and allow Stern to move up to third base before O’Reilly flied out to right field to score Stern. Franklin & Marshall added an insurance run in the sixth as Caruthers walked, moved to second on a ground out and third on a sacrifice fly before scoring on an RBI single by Stephen Frederick (Sr., Downingtown, PA/Downingtown) for the 6-4 final. On the mound, Leary went 3.2 innings allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks with five strikeouts to earn a no-decision, while Washington’s Matt Swanson took the loss allowing six runs on seven hits and six walks with no strikeouts. Washington earned a split of the doubleheader in game two as the Shoremen scored two runs in the tenth inning to down the Diplomats 8-6. The Shoremen jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Zuba singled and moved around the bases courtesy three fielding errors. F&M took the lead in the fourth as the Diplomats used four hits and a fielding error to plate four runs for a 4-1 lead. Washington tied the game in the sixth with three runs on five hits, but F&M retook the lead in the eighth as O’Reilly reached on an error at shortstop and scored on a fielding error in centerfield for a 5-4 lead. Facing F&M reliever Jeremy Knox (Sr., Bronx, NY/Iona Prep), the Shoremen trawled two runs with a walk, a single, a double and a sacrifice fly to rally for a 6-5 lead. However, the Diplomats responded in the bottom of the ninth as Frederick walked and Stern singled with two outs off reliever Wes Anderson to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch by Anderson brought home Frederick and tied the game at six all to force extra innings.
Facing reliever Matt Ziegler (Fr., Swarthmore, PA/Strath Haven), the Shoremen scored the winning runs as Will Greenberg reached on an error at shortstop and moved to third on a double by Tony Tozzolo. Eric Guetterman singled up the middle to bring home Greenberg with the eventual winning run as Tozzolo scored on an error in centerfield. Anderson closed out the win for Washington in the 10th getting the first two outs before Jon Compitello (Sr., Yardley, PA/George School) reached on a fielding error at third base and Rich Gallugi (So., Peabody, MA/St. John’s Prep) singled to put runners on first and second. However, Frederick tapped into a fielder’s choice the end the inning and the game as the Shoremen improve to 12-22 all-time against F&M since the series began in 1960. Zielger took the loss for the Diplomats allowing two runs on two hits, while Anderson earned the win going two inning with two hits allowed. Franklin & Marshall (13-7, 3-1 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on April 4 at Gettysburg College in the first of a home-and-home conference series with the Bullets. Game one is set for 3:30 p.m.
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