COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College baseball team fell 17-13 in a slugfest against Franklin & Marshall College on Friday afternoon at Thomas Field.
 
With the loss, Ursinus drops to 17-10 on the season and 4-4 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Diplomats improve to 17-10 overall and 4-4 in conference play. Franklin & Marshall scored in eight of nine innings, while the Bears' offense was powered by a seven-run fourth inning.
 
Junior Brandon Sullivan, along with sophomores Matthew Callahan and Isaac Gesford, paced the Bears' offense with two hits a piece. Senior Shane Beaver finished with a team-high four RBIs, while first-year Nolan Carroll went 1-for-3 with three runs scored in his first collegiate start.
 
The Bears struck first in the bottom of the first inning, scoring one run on one hit and two walks to grab an early lead. Sullivan led off with a one-out walk before stealing second, and a walk by sophomore Luke Kopec put two runners on base. First-year Brett Barrett followed with a single to center field to score Sullivan and give Ursinus a one-run lead. The Bears stranded a pair of runners as a strikeout and flyout ended the inning.
 
However, Franklin & Marshall scored three runs in the second and two in the third to take a 5-1 advantage. The Diplomats plated four two-out runs across those innings and added three runs on four hits in the fourth to extend their lead to 8-1.
 
Ursinus responded in the bottom of the fourth, scoring seven runs on three hits, two errors, and four walks to tie the game at 8-8. Beaver led off the inning by reaching on an error, while Gesford singled and Rosenfeld was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Senior George Nestor and Carroll each drew RBI walks, and a double by Callahan made it 8-5 with no outs. After a sacrifice fly by Sullivan, Beaver reached again on an error, and Gesford later drove in Kopec to even the score.
 
Franklin & Marshall answered with a run in both the fifth and sixth innings to regain a 10-8 lead before Ursinus cut the deficit to one in the bottom of the sixth. Kopec led off with a double to right-center field, and a single by Barrett put runners on the corners with no outs. Beaver then delivered an RBI sacrifice bunt, but a flyout and strikeout ended the rally.
 
Both teams scored three runs in the seventh inning, but Franklin & Marshall added a run in the eighth and three in the ninth en route to the 17-13 victory.
 
The Bears return to action Saturday as they travel to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, for a doubleheader against Dickinson College beginning at noon.