GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg College rallied to tie the game in the fourth inning, but Franklin & Marshall College came right back with the go-ahead tally in the next frame and picked up a split in the season series with a 9-5 win over the Bullets at Kirchhoff Field on Thursday.
 
Gettysburg (15-15, 4-8 CC) took down Franklin & Marshall (20-12, 7-5 CC) 10-2 on Tuesday, but the Bullet bats were held quiet through its first three trips to the plate. The Diplomats scored a run in the first inning and picked up four more in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead.
 
Diplomat lefthander Jack Buckley held the Bullets without a hit through the first three frames, but sophomore Sean Murphy (Westfield, Mass./Westfield) ripped a single past the second basemen to lead off the fourth inning, marking his 35th consecutive game reaching base safely via a hit or walk.
 
Gettysburg managed to load the bases with a hit-by-pitch and error by the third baseman. Freshman Mark Seibert (Yardley, Pa./Holy Ghost Prep) dropped in a single to right field to bring home the first run and sophomore Eric Raio (West Caldwell, N.J./Seton Hall Prep) followed with a bases-loaded walk. Freshman Matthew Muir (South Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) knocked a sacrifice fly to center field to cut the margin to 5-3.
 
Another fielding miscue by the Diplomats helped bring home two more runs as sophomore Matt Szczesny's (Schwenksville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) hit a fly ball that right fielder Alex Miller misplayed and allowed both Seibert and Raio to scamper home and tie the game 5-5.
 
Franklin & Marshall didn't waste time getting back in front with Don DiLorento hitting a double down the left-field line to start the fifth inning and scoring on a sacrifice fly. The Diplomats tacked on two more runs in the sixth as J.J. Freeman bounced a triple off the right-field fence to bring home a run and then scored on a single by Kelsey Launi to make it 8-5.
 
Buckley settled into a groove after the fourth inning, allowing just three more hits and fanning six batters. He started a double play in the sixth inning and closed out his day by striking out the side in the eighth inning.
 
Franklin & Marshall added another run in the top of the ninth and Daniel Blugis shut the door on the Bullets in the bottom of the frame, including a double play and getting a strikeout.  
 
Murphy and Seibert each went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Raio was 1-for-2 with a walk, run, and RBI. Sophomore Erik Wortmann (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) started the game and gave up five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts in four innings. Senior Jonny Bray (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) took the loss after surrendering three runs in two innings, while sophomore Dan Ball (Bernardsville, N.J./Bernards) threw the final three frames and allowed one run.
 
Buckley allowed one earned run on five hits and struck out 11. He improved to 6-1 this season. Freeman went 3-for-6 with two runs and three RBI, while Justin Cavegn reached base five times, going 4-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored.
 
Gettysburg visits Swarthmore College for a doubleheader this Saturday beginning at noon.