COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College baseball team scored six of their seven runs over the final four innings, but the lead proved to be too large as they fell 10-7 to Franklin & Marshall on Tuesday afternoon.
 

With the loss, the Bears fall to 11-18 on the season and 3-4 in Centennial Conference, meanwhile the Diplomats improved to 18-11 overall and sit at 5-2 in conference play.

 
Franklin & Marshall struck first in the opening frame as a leadoff walk turned into a run after a passed ball found the backstop. After a Diplomat runner reached third base, first-year pitcher Dan Bass settled in recording back-to-back strikeouts and pop out in foul territory to escape any more damage.

 
Senior Solomon Griffith led off the bottom of the first with a single into right field and advanced into scoring position with a stolen base. Griffith later scored after swiping third base and crossed the plate on an arrogant throw by the Diplomats backstop. The Diplomats struck again in the second inning behind a one-out double to retake a 2-1 advantage. In the bottom of the third, sophomore Jakob Cantor reached base via a one-out single and would later advance to third, but a groundout ended the frame.

 
Bass continued to pitch well on the mound recording a one-out 6-4-3 double play to retire the side and keep the Bears deficit at one. Two base runners reached base in the third for the Bears, but they would be stranded as a fielders choice sent the game into the middle innings. Franklin & Marshall added a run in the fifth as a sacrifice fly with runners on the corners increased the Diplomats to two. In the bottom half of the frame, the Bears added a baserunner with two outs but a great back pick from the F&M catcher caught the runner off guard for the final out.

 
The Diplomat offense exploded in the sixth inning scoring four hits from just one hit and one defensive error. Each of the first two runners reached via walks before advancing 90 feet on a sacrifice bunt. After a single to load the bases, back-to-back free passes forced home two runs to give F&M a 5-1 advantage. After a pitching change, the Diplomats added two more runs from a wild pitch and an error to go ahead 7-1, before the inning ended on a groundout.

 
In the bottom of the sixth, Griffith led off with a triple before crossing the plate on a single from junior Will Kelley. The Bears rally ended as back-to-back flyouts and a lineout closed out the frame. Each team added a run in the seventh inning, but the Diplomats still led 8-3 heading into the final two innings. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Bears added a run on a two-out double down the right field line from sophomore Andrew Richter to cut their deficit to four.

 
Franklin & Marshall answered in the ninth as with two outs a double and a two-run homerun extended the visitors lead to 10-4. The Bears added three runs in the ninth inning, but the lead proved to be too large as Ursinus fell 10-7. In the final frame, sophomore Peter Balos and seniors Nick Diaz and Tom Snipes each recorded RBIs.

 
At the plate, Griffith led the way for the Ursinus offense finishing 3-for-4 with three runs scored, while Kelley, Cantor, and Runsdorf each tallied two base hits. On the mound, Bass was dealt the loss after scattering five hits, two earned runs, and five strikeouts over five innings of work, while sophomore Mike Scheller pitched 3.1 innings and allowed four hits and two earned runs. Bijan Anvar (3-1) earned the win on the mound for the Diplomats pitching six innings and allowing just five hits and one earned run.

 
The Bears will return to action on Friday as they travel to Lancaster to wrap up their season series with the Diplomats with first pitch scheduled for 3:30pm.

 
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