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BALTIMORE, MD – Franklin & Marshall College starter Ted Serro (Sr., Brooklyn, NY/Xavier) tossed a four-hit shutout with five strikeouts in a seven inning 2-0 win, but #21 Johns Hopkins University held on for a 7-6 win in game two as the Diplomats and Blue Jays split a Centennial Conference baseball doubleheader. A rematch of the 2004 and 2005 Centennial Conference championship series teams, the Diplomats (16-8, 6-2 Centennial Conference) entered and finished the doubleheader a half game back of Johns Hopkins (18-4-2, 6-1-1) as the Centennial Conference lead switched between the team teams. Serro gave F&M a half game lead in game one as he went the full seven innings scattering four singles with no walks while fanning five JHU batters in a 2-0 victory. The Diplomats gave Serro all he would need to record his third win of the season in the second inning as Pat O’Reilly (So., Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) led off the inning with a double to right centerfield before Corey Caruthers (Sr., Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) singled to left centerfield to drive in O’Reilly for a 1-0 lead. Franklin & Marshall added an insurance run in the fifth inning as Dan Hanecak (Sr., Conestoga, PA/Lancaster Catholic) walked, Stephen Frederick (Sr., Downingtown, PA/Downingtown) singled and Eric Milavsky (Sr., Medford, NJ/Shawnee) walked to load the bases with two outs. Rob Stern (So., Franklin Lakes, NJ/Indian Hills) singled through the right side of the infield to score Hanecak for the 2-0 final. Overall, Serro dominated the Blue Jays batters not allowing a base runner until the fifth inning and keeping Johns Hopkins off second base until there were two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The win was historic for Serro as he moved into third place in career victories (15-8) at F&M, surpassing Chris Rebman ’73 (14), raised his strikeout total to 178 for third place on the career list and tied Paul Olivett ’90 for eighth on the career complete games list (eight) and eclipsed Rebman for sixth in innings pitched (172.1). At the plate, Stern and Caruthers went two-for-three to lead the Diplomats as Franklin & Marshall out slugged the Blue Jays eight-to-four in hits. Jason Thayer (3-1) took the loss for Hopkins allowing two runs on eight hits, four walks and an error with four strikeouts. The win put the Diplomats a half game up in the Centennial Conference standings over Johns Hopkins for first place. The Blue Jays went back in front in the standings in game two as Johns Hopkins notched a 7-6 nine inning win. Hopkins jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning off starting pitcher Jeff Rowand (Jr., York, PA/Dallastown) on five hits and a walk. Bryce Baumann walked to lead off the inning before Jonas Fester and Corey Gleason singled to load the bases with no outs. Rob Pietroforte flied out to right field to plate Baumann for a 1-0 lead before Todd Emr homered to right field to drive in three runs and a 4-0 lead. F&M chipped away at the margin scoring runs in the second and third to trim the lead to 4-2. In the second inning, Hanecak walked, moved to second on a passed ball and advanced to third on a balk before Rich Gallugi (So., Peabody, MA/St. John’s Prep) slugged an RBI single to cut JHU’s lead to 4-1. Stern scored in the third inning to halve the margin as he walked, stole second bases and moved to third on a ground out by Gary Kruger (Sr., East Islip, NY/East Islip). O’Reilly grounded out to shortstop for an RBI and the Diplomats’ second run.
Hopkins responded with a run in the fourth and tacked on two runs in the fifth inning for a 7-2 lead. In the seventh, F&M scored three runs with two outs as Milavsky reached on a fielding error at shortstop, Stern singled to centerfield to move Milavsky to third and Kruger singled up the middle to score Milavsky and move Stern to second base. O’Reilly doubled to right field to score Stern and Kruger and trim the JHU lead to 7-5. Franklin & Marshall added another run in the ninth as Kruger drove in pinch runner Jeff Lawrence (So., Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic), but the Blue Jays’ bullpen held on for the 7-6 win. Rowand took the loss for the Diplomats allowing seven runs on nine hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work Reliever Brad Andres (Fr., Belle Mead, NJ/Carroll) finished the game allowing three hits with a pair of strikeouts in 3.2 innings Jim Flannery earned the win for Hopkins allowing five runs on eight hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Brian DeLeo went 1.2 innings in relief allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout, while Andrew Bail came on with one out in the ninth to force a fielder’s choice and a ground out to earn a save. At the plate, Kruger finished three-for-five with two RBI and a run scored. Milavsky added a three-for-five performance with a run scored and O’Reilly went one-for-three with three RBI to lead the Diplomats. For Hopkins, Gleason was three-for-four with two runs scored, while Emr finished one-for-four with three RBI and a run scored. The loss drops the Diplomats to a half game back of JHU for first place in the Centennial Conference standings, as the regular season champion will host the conference championship series. Franklin & Marshall (16-8, 6-2 Centennial Conference) will continue the season on April 11 at home in the first game of a home-and-home series versus Haverford College. Game time is set for 3:30 p.m.
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