STAUNTON, Va. – The Mary Baldwin University softball team dropped both ends of a doubleheader against Franklin & Marshall on Sunday afternoon.

The Fighting Squirrels fell in game one, 15-5 (5 innings), before dropping game two, 9-7.

In game one, the Diplomats used a five-run second and a six-run fifth to pull ahead on their way to a 10-run victory.

For Mary Baldwin, Sam Breeden was 2 for 2 at the plate with a walk, while Lindsay Simmons and Lacey Pugh each hit a home run.

In the circle, Courteney Back started and tossed 2.1 innings giving up five runs, but just two of them earned. Simmons was strapped with the loss after allowing six runs on six hits. Sabrina Ryan started for FMC but only went 1.2 innings. Jill Holoboski finished the game pitching 3.1 shutout innings to get her first win of the season.

Game two was a back-and-forth game as the Fighting Squirrels took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI triple by Simmons and an RBI double by Breeden. The Diplomats struck for three runs in the third inning to take the lead and added one more in the forth to go up 4-2.

Pugh doubled in the bottom of the fourth before scoring on a two-run homer by Jordan Miller to tie the game. In the fifth, the Fighting Squirrels gained the led again as Daleya Scaife crossed home plate on a sac fly from Miller, 5-4, and Madelyn Bickford scored on an error, 6-4.

The Diplomats responded with a big sixth inning scoring five runs to go up 9-6. In the final frame, Marybeth Strickler singled to score Pugh to get one run back, but MBU fell, 9-7.

Strickler, Breeden and Miller each went 3 for 3 at the plate, while Miller finished with three RBI and run scored. Strickler also swiped three bases in the loss.

Back also started in the circle in game two going 2.2 innings and yielding three runs, all unearned. Strickler took the loss after giving up five runs (two earned) on five hits. Simmons also saw time in the circle pitching 2.0 innings. Peightyn Schwartz tossed 3.0 innings of work and allowed four runs on eight hits before Sabrina Ryan entered and pitched 3.1 innings. She allowed three runs (two earned) with four strikeouts to get the win, while Holoboski picked up a save after entering with one out in the seventh inning.

The Fighting Squirrels return to action on Tuesday, March 10, in a home doubleheader against Eastern Mennonite. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 2 pm.

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