Andrew Mascis, Franklin & Marshall
LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall's baseball team survived a late Washington rally, taking down the Centennial Conference (CC) leading Shoremen by a 3-2 score on Wednesday afternoon at Caplan Field.
Starting pitcher Sean Cosgriff's eight-inning gem brought the Diplomats within one game of the conference's top spot at 18-7, 7-4 CC on the year, while Washington fell to 17-7, 8-3 CC.
Trailing by a 3-1 score in the bottom of the ninth, the Shoremen notched a pair of singles to put runners on first and second with zero outs and forcing F&M to go to its bullpen for the first time on the afternoon. Andrew Mascis entered in relief of Cosgriff and retired the frame's first out with a sacrifice bunt, as runners advanced to second and third.
Washington scored its first run of the contest off a sacrifice fly to right field in its next at-bat, however Mascis closed out the game with a groundout to second for his fourth save of the season.
Cosgriff (4-0) went the first eight innings to earn his team-leading fourth win, allowing just two earned off seven hits and striking out five. Dan Jarrell (4-1) suffered the loss after surrendering three earned off five hits in 7 1/3 innings on the mound.
Both pitchers kept the opposing offense off the scoreboard until the fourth inning when Luke Seib laid down a squeeze bunt that plated Mike Smeriglio from third for the 1-0 F&M advantage. The Diplomats added on in the fifth, pulling ahead by two with a Brett Poniros RBI double off the left field wall that sent Reed Williams home from second.
Washington cut into the deficit in the next frame, opening with back-to-back singles, before a turned double play with runners on first and third allowed one run to cross home. Brian Erb got the run back for F&M in the bottom of the frame, hitting a blooper out to right field, scoring Seib, who reached on a single to center before stealing second.
Five Diplomats recorded a hit, while the Shoremen's Bryan Baquer paced Washington with a 4-for-4 effort on the day. Each team stranded five base runners with the Shoremen leading in hits at 7-5.
F&M returns to the field tomorrow, playing host to Messiah at 3:30 p.m.