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READING, PA – Franklin & Marshall College starting pitcher Jeremy Knox (Sr., Bronx, NY/Iona Prep) went seven innings allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts as the Diplomats knocked off #7 nationally ranked Alvernia College 11-1. Alvernia, which was selected by Baseball America to finish second in the nation this year, put nine men on base in the game, while Franklin & Marshall slugged 18 hits, walked three times, were hit by pitches twice and reached on a fielding error to put 24 men on base in the game. The Diplomats jumped on the board in the second inning against starting pitcher Zach Lutz as Gary Kruger (Sr., East Islip, NY/East Islip) beat out an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error by Alvernia shortstop Eric Bonds. Corey Caruthers (Sr., Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) singled to move Kruger to third base and Rich Gallugi (So., Peabody, MA/St. John’s Prep) singled to plate Kruger. Eric Milavsky (Sr., Medford, NJ/Shawnee) singled to leftfield to plate Caruthers and Gallugi and Stephen Frederick (Sr., Downingtown, PA/Downingtown) singled to move Milavsky to third base. Following a strikeout, Rob Stern (So., Franklin Lakes, NJ/Indian Hills) doubled to center field to score Milavsky. Frederick was caught at the plate in a fielders’ choice as Stern moved to third base and Dan Hanecak (Sr., Conestoga, PA/Lancaster Catholic) advanced to first to put runners on the corners with two outs. Pat O’Reilly plated Stern with an RBI single as Franklin & Marshall took a 5-0 lead. The lead expanded to 8-0 in the third inning as Kruger beat out another infield single to shortstop and Caruthers launched a 340-foot homerun to left centerfield. With one out, Milavsky doubled to left centerfield before Frederick singled to score Milavsky and move to third base on a throwing error to give Knox an 8-0 cushion. Alvernia scored its only run of the game in the third inning as Ben Reifsnyder singled to lead off the inning and Timothy Carroll reached on a throwing error to put runners on the corners with no outs. Bonds hit into a fielders choice to score Reifsnyder before Knox got Lutz to fly out to centerfield and Chris Raniere to fly out to rightfield to end the inning. In the fifth, the Diplomats added to their lead as Milavsky walked and Frederick singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Andrew Hanson (Fr., Lansdale, PA/Germantown Academy) reached on an error by Bonds to load the bases before Stern singled to score Milavsky. Hanecak followed with a single to bring in Frederick as the lead grew to 10-1. Franklin & Marshall tacked on its 11th run in the eighth as Kruger singled and Caruthers singled past third base to put two men on with one out. Pinch-hitter Jeff Lawrence (So., Hanover, PA/Delone Catholic) was hit by a pitch to load the bases and pinch-hitter Billy McGuire (Jr., Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley) forced in the team’s final run as he was hit a few pitches later to bring home Kruger. Relievers EJ Leary (Sr., Seymour, CT/Seymour) and Jeff Rowand (Jr., York, PA/Dallastown) finished the game for Knox pitching the eighth and ninth, respectively, allowing one hit and a walk with a pair of strikeouts. Overall, Knox’s seven innings of work to earn the win raised his career inning total to 145.2 as he surpassed All-America pitcher Tim Sheridan ’96 (145) for ninth on the innings list at the College. For his career, he is 10-6 in 32 appearances. Frederick led the Diplomats at the plate going four-for-four with a run scored and an RBI, while Stern was two-for-four with a run scored and three RBIs and Kruger went three-for-five with three runs scored and a walk. In addition, Caruthers went three-for-five with two runs scored and two RBI and Milavsky was two-for-three with three runs scored and an RBI. The loss marked the first in the career of Alvernia College starting pitcher and 2005 All-America first team utility player Zach Lutz as he finished 9-0 with a 3.32 ERA in 59.2 innings last year. The game marked the first head coaching win of first year Franklin & Marshall skipper Bill Walkenbach’s career and raised Franklin & Marshall’s record to 7-6 against the Crusaders. Overall, the victory snapped a two-game losing streak to Alvernia and marked the most lopsided victory in the history of the series. Franklin & Marshall (1-1, 0-0 Centennial Conference) will continue the season in Texas as the Diplomats will face Trinity University (TX) and Endicott College in three games, University of Wisconsin-Stout in a doubleheader, Texas Lutheran University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor on March 11-19.
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