Game One Box
Game Two Box

The Albright College softball team battled Franklin & Marshall over two long games, losing 7-5 before the nightcap was halted at 8-8 after five innings due to darkness.

The Lions rallied in both the fourth and fifth innings of game two with the sun disappearing. RBI hits from Natalie Carlucci and Ally Martin keyed a three-run inning to tie the game at 7-7, and Shannon Stevens scored on Nikki Schwenk's batted ball in the game's final round of batters.

Schwenk was 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Carlucci was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run. Samantha Ginder was 2-for-3 with four RBIs and a run scored for the visitors.

In the top of the first, Albright shortstop Alysa Romero dove to barehand a liner, but the ball touched the ground and it was ruled a single after the umpires conferred. Romero then recorded two assists to get out of a bases-loaded jam.

In the bottom of the stanza, Schwenk singled in Becky Crandall and Carlucci, and some heads-up running allowed Romero to score and Schwenk to get all the way to third.

Albright would total four runs in the first, but Franklin & Marshall answered right back with three on their next chance to bat.

In a hard-fought opener, the teams left the bases loaded a combined three times (twice for F&M, once for Albright), with the Diplomats outlasting the Lions 7-5.

Schwenk was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs, while Romero (two runs scored) and Brandy Lagomarsino (RBI) were each 2-for-4.

F&M led 3-0 and had the bases loaded in the top of the second, but Stephanie Romano got Alicia Kukoda to flyout to left, preventing the game from getting away early.

After a Crandall walk in the bottom of the second, Romero and Kiersten Gilfoy singled to load the bases. An error allowed Crandall to score, and Schwenk knocked in Romero to pull Albright within one. Lagomarsino then singled in Marguerite DeLucas to tie, but Rachel Laufer made a nice sliding catch way in to save the Diplomats from more damage.

A pair of Albright errors in the top of the third put the Diplomats back on top however, as Ginder and Julianne Whitleigh came in to put the visitors on top 5-3.

Jackie Bohanan walked to lead off the bottom of the third, and Carlucci snuck a double over the third base bag to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Both runners were caught after Crandall's groundout however, allowing Franklin & Marshall to escape on a rare triple play.

Romero then led off Albright's next ups with a ground rule double over third base, identical to Carlucci's hit an inning before. Schwenk's double to the wall scored her. Albright could have pulled level, but Laufer gunned down Schwenk at home for the third out.

F&M loaded the bases in the top of the fifth, but a pop-up to Romero ended the stanza. A Crandall bloop single loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but Albright couldn't bring the tying run around. Franklin & Marshall added two in the sixth to lead 7-4.

Laura Wagoner (3-4, 3 RBIs, Ginder (2-3, 2 runs) and Caitlin Brust (2-4, RBI) also contributed at the plate for the Diplomats. Nicole Casey earned the win while Justine Lohrey picked up a save.

Albright is 4-13-1 and will travel to Delaware Valley for a doubleheader on Thursday. Franklin & Marshall is 11-12-1 on the year.