LANCASTER, Pa. - The Dickinson baseball team used a three-run eighth inning rally to pick up an 8-7 win in game one of Saturday's Centennial Conference road doubleheader against Franklin and Marshall College. Then, in game two the Red and White scored early and often as well as got superb pitching from Austin Buzza en route to securing an 11-1 run-rule victory in seven at Caplan Field. With the two wins on Saturday the Devils find themselves in a logjam for postseason baseball as they will enter the final week in a three-way tie for the fifth and final place in the CC tournament, but also have visions of a higher seed with the two teams directly ahead of them waiting in their way next week.


Final Score - DEVILS 8, Diplomats 7  
Records - DEVILS 14-16, 5-8 CC | Franklin and Marshall 20-15, 6-7 CC
Pitching Decision - W - Sam Bliss (3-1) | L - Anders Snow (1-1) | S - Ben Myers (1)  

Inside the Game

• Both starting pitcher Drew Norton for DC and Dan Galef for F&M allowed a base hit in the first, but did not allow either to cross home. 
• The top of the second was when the visitors got onto the board as singles from Kaden Sigmon and Kyle Bailey two batters apart made it 1-0. Then, after Bailey was forced out on a fielder's choice by Shawn Arneja, a walk to Nathan Bowman set the stage for Ryan Thompson to do a little yardwork as he sent the Galef offering over the right-field wall for a 4-0 lead going to the bottom-half. Unfortunately, Norton could not come up with the shutdown frame as three walks led to Nolan McCloskey notching a two-run single trimming the gap to 4-2 through two.
• Neither side would tally during the next two frames with Dickinson getting runners, but not able to scratch anyone across, while Norton was excellent on the hill for DC retiring six straight Diplomats to leave it 4-2 going into the fifth.
• After a scoreless top of the fifth, AJ Desautels provided a two-out double into left which resulted in Bobby Falese collecting an RBI knock to right trimming the gap to 4-3 with five in the books.
• Dickinson finally made their way back to the scoreboard in the seventh. Thompson reached on a throwing error by new pitcher Luca Marshall. He would be pinch ran for by Ryan O'Connor who came into score on a two-out two-bagger for Matt Torres to pushed the gap to 5-3. However, the Diplomats had the answer against Bliss as three singles and a double flipped the score around and gave F&M the slim 6-5 edge. Later in the frame Andrew Filippelli made it 7-5 with an RBI single up the middle.
• Snow entered from the bullpen to start off the eighth inning and immediately gave up a double to Bailey. Following a groundout and strikeout, O'Connor smacked a pitch into center cutting the margin to 7-6. A single by Josh Markley and hit batter of Kevin Schmidt had the cushions filled for Torres. He did not face Snow as Shane Rebane entered the fray and allowed a two-run double that hugged the line in left to give DC an 8-7 lead. In the home-half with two on and one down, Bliss recorded a strikeout and flyout to end the rally.
• In the last of the ninth, a leadoff double for Tanner Wolpert put the tying run on base with no outs. A flyout moved him to third, but a soft liner to first and flyout to center ended the game.

• Hits - Torres (3), Bailey (2), Eight players tied (1)
• RBIs - Thompson and Torres (3), Bailey and O'Connor (1)
• Runs Scored - O'Connor (2), Six players tied (1)
• Doubles - Torres (3), Bailey (1)
• Home Runs - Thompson (1)

• Norton - 5.1 ip, 4 hits, 3 runs (earned), 4 walks, 2 strikeouts
• Bliss (W) - 1.2 ip, 5 hits, 4 runs (3 earned), 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
• Glen Cantalupo Jr. - 0.1 ip, 0 hit, 0 runs, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts
• Myers (S) - 1.2 ip, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout

Final Score - DEVILS 11, Diplomats 1 (F/8)  
Records - DEVILS 15-16, 6-8 CC | Franklin and Marshall - 20-16, 6-8 CC
Pitching Decision - W - Austin Buzza (4-2) | L - Kiernan Keller (3-3)  

Inside the Game

• Dickinson would load the bags in the front-half of the first thanks to catcher's interference, hit batter and walk. Sigmon made Keller pay for his struggles with a bases-clearing double to center. Two batters later he came into score when Bowman deposited the pitch to right for a 4-0 lead before F&M had even come to bat. Buzza allowed one runner in the home-half with a hit batter, but nothing came of it.
• The top of the second started the same as the first with catcher's interference letting Will Ferris reach. After a popout by Markley, back-to-back singles for Luke Gartland and Schmidt loaded the pillows for Torres. He made it 5-0 the hard way by being plunked with a Keller pitch. Unfortunately, back-to-back flyouts closed out the rally.
• After another clean inning for Buzza on the hill, his offense went back to work during the third trying to add onto their advantage. Bowman walked to open things up and then stole second prior to moving to third on a fly ball from O'Connor. He then cross on a sacrifice fly to right off the stick of Markley. Three more walks hurled by new arm Garrett Stowe packed the cushions for Torres who would work a walk of his own for the 7-0 lead. That brought Rohan Shah into the contest and gave up a two-run single to Sigmon (9-0).
• Buzza continued to roll through the Diplomats retiring six more in a row, before finally giving up a pair of singles during the fifth. However, a groundout off the bat of McCloskey ended the frame.
• The home side finally cracked onto the scoreboard in the last of the sixth when a double for Desautels came around to score on a base hit from Falese to cut the deficit by one entering the seventh (9-1).
• A Gartland single, walk and hit batter loaded the bases once again for the visitors and set the stage for a sac fly by Sigmon. Two more hit batters forced in another DC run extend the margin to 11-1 forcing the hosts into "last call". Buzza finished the game in style retiring the side in order.

• Hits - Gartland and Sigmon (2), Bowman, Schmidt and Torres (1)
• RBIs - Sigmon (5), Torres (2), Bowman, Markley and O'Connor (1)
• Runs Scored - Gartland (3), Ferris and Schmidt (2)
• Doubles - Sigmon and Torres (1)

• Buzza (W) - 7.0 ip, 4 hits, 1 runs (earned), 1 walks, 4 strikeouts

• Dickinson (15-16, 6-8 CC) opens up the final week of the season on Tuesday afternoon at MacPhail Field when they host McDaniel College for a 3:30pm first pitch.

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