Box Score COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall hit three home runs among 25 total hits to defeat the Ursinus baseball team, 26-12, in a Centennial Conference slugfest at Thomas Field.
Ursinus (8-12-1, 3-4-1) also fared well at the plate, registering 14 hits. Three of those hits were home runs for the Bears, a feat the Bears had not accomplished since 2010 against Muhlenberg.
The Diplomats scored in all but two innings, opening up an 11-2 bulge through four innings and exploding for 11 runs in the eighth. Fourteen different players recorded a hit for F&M, including home runs by Kengo Kawahara, Kelsey Launi, and Matt Devlin.
Sophomore Alex Mumme went 3-for-6, for the Bears highlighted by blasting his sixth homer of the season and 10th of his career in the bottom of the ninth. Mumme is now the sixth player in Ursinus history to reach double-digit homers.
Sophomores Mike Stanziale and Dom Fiorentino each joined the home-run club with their first collegiate bombs. Stanziale cleared the bases with a grand slam in the eighth inning, part of a 2-for-5 effort with five runs batted in. Fiorentino got the Bears' first run on his lead-off round-tripper in the second.
The Bears notched two quality innings at the plate, scoring three in the sixth and five in the eighth. In the sixth, Ursinus' freshmen ignited the inning. Freshman pinch-hitter Drew Fowler got things started with a lead-off walk before classmate Eric Gross was hit by a pitch. Fellow rookie Jerry Scavone then doubled down the left-field line, knocking in Fowler and Gross. Junior Drew Roesch followed up with a double down the right field line advancing Scavone to third, and senior Travis Kozak grounded out to first, driving in Scavone.
Kozak finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored out of his leadoff spot.
The ninth inning featured sophomore Kyle Supran driving in twin brother Jake Supran on a sacrifice fly to right after Jake doubled to lead-off the inning.
The Diplomats (10-11-2, 4-3-1) went on to score in every inning but the fifth and ninth. F&M plated 11 runs in the eighth to expand its lead to 26-5. F&M sent 15 batters to the plate, collecting eight hits in the big inning.
Kawahara and Devlin each homered and knocked in four runs for the Diplomats. Kawahara led the Diplomats going 4-for-5 at the dish. Launi and J.J. Freeman each drove three runs home. Dan Marano and Max Schwartz collected three hits apiece.
Mike Androconis (2-1) earned the win for F&M. Androconis worked through five innings, giving up three runs on five hits while walking four and striking out five batters.
The Bears square off with Gettysburg Saturday for a doubleheader starting at 12:30 p.m.
