COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – A fifth-inning rally proved to be the difference as the Ursinus College baseball team fell, 10-4, to Franklin & Marshall College on Wednesday afternoon at Thomas Field.
 
 
The loss snapped the Bears' three-game winning streak, dropping them to 17-10 on the season and 4-3 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Diplomats improved to 17-12 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Senior Andrew Richter led the Bears' offense finishing with three hits, while junior catcher George Nestor added two hits and a run scored. Sophomore outfielder Brandon Sullivan extended his on-base streak to 31 games, recording a walk and run scored. On the mound, eight different pitchers split time, combining for five strikeouts and six earned runs.
 
 
Franklin & Marshall capitalized on a two-out double in the first inning, scoring two runs on three hits to capture an early lead. In the Bears' first trip to the plate, Sullivan recorded a leadoff walk and advanced into scoring position on his 30th stolen base of the season. After a strikeout and Richter's first base hit, senior Peter Balos tallied a sacrifice fly to cut the Bears deficit to 2-1.
 
 
Senior pitcher Mike Scheller cruised through his second inning of work, retiring the side in order on a ground out, lineout, and strikeout. Ursinus put the tying run in scoring position in the bottom of the second, but an infield ground out ended the threat. The Diplomats threatened in the third, but a 1-6 lineout double play allowed Scheller to escape the jam.
 
 
In the top of the fifth inning, Franklin & Marshall's offense broke through capitalizing on four hits and two defensive errors to score six runs and stretch their lead to 8-1. Leading 4-1 with one out, Ursinus nearly turned a double play to end the inning, but a wild throw kept the inning alive. Next, a second defensive miscue set up the Diplomats to extend their lead to seven on a two-out two RBI double.

 
Ursinus responded in the bottom half as an RBI groundout by Sullivan and a sacrifice fly by senior Jordan Williams made it 8-3. Franklin & Marshall added an insurance run in the sixth, while the Diplomat pitching staff faced the minimum through the next two innings. Each team tacked on a run over the final two innings, with Franklin & Marshall securing a 10-4 victory.
 
 
 
The Bears return to action on Friday, closing out the season series with the Diplomats as first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.