AUBURNDALE, FLA. – Junior Corey Martinez allowed just two runs over 6.1 innings to help lead the William Paterson baseball team (4-4) to an opening 9-4 victory, but the Pioneers fell in the night cap to Franklin & Marshall (2-2-1), 4-0, March 11 during a seven-inning doubleheader at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.
Game One
WP turned a 3-1 early lead into a 9-4 win to start the day against the Diplomats.
Franklin & Marshall opened the bottom of the first with a home run, but the Pioneers answered with a three-run second inning. Sophomore designated hitter DeAngelo Descorbeth opened the frame with a base on balls and freshman first baseman Carson Weis singled before sophomore third baseman Carlos Perez drilled a three-run homer.
Doubles by sophomore second baseman Matt Ferrara and freshman center fielder Steven DiGirolamo made it a 4-1 score in the fifth.
William Paterson exploded for five more runs during the top of the sixth inning. Descorbeth led off with a single and Weis walked before a popup and double steal. Freshman left fielder Francis Deane singled in Descorbeth, and a wild pitch plated Weis. An error on a strikeout that would have ended the inning allowed Deane to touch home, and freshman right fielder Dan Carter later contributed a base hit that scored two more Pioneers and made it a 9-1 edge.
The Diplomats used three hits and two hit by pitches to send across three runs in the home half of the seventh.
Deane and DiGirolamo were both 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. Perez drove in three runs with his homer.
Martinez (2-0) fanned two and walked two over 6.1 innings on the mound, allowing two runs on six hits. Junior Jeff Lombardi, Jr. pitched the final 0.2 inning and gave up two runs on a pair of hits while striking out one.
Freshman right fielder Matthew Kann went 2-for-3 for F&M. Senior starter Mike Androconis (0-1) surrendered nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits and three walks over 5.2 innings, striking out eight.
Game Two
WP mustered just four hits, dropping a 4-0 decision during the back half of the doubleheader.
A pair of singles, a triple and a double resulted in three Franklin & Marshall runs during the top of the third inning, and two base hits and a double added one more run in the seventh.
Four different Pioneers had singles, and junior southpaw Chris Babb (0-2) allowed three runs on six hits and a walk, striking out seven over 5.0 innings. Classmate Doug Olcese posted three punchouts in 2.0 innings, giving up a run and three hits.
Junior catcher Danny Blugis went 3-for-3, hit a double and scored a run for the Diplomats. Sophomore Jonathan Cole (1-0) tossed the complete game, striking out nine and walking one while scattering four hits.
The Pioneers will play a doubleheader against Anderson Tuesday, March 13, at 9:00 a.m.
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