WESTMINSTER, Md. – With his third hit of game two – an eighth-inning single to center field – Pat Christopher (Union Beach, N.J./St. John Vianney) tied Russell Coover '10 for the career record with 145 hits, leading McDaniel to a doubleheader split with Franklin & Marshall in the Centennial Conference (CC) baseball opener for both teams on Saturday.

The Diplomats (10-10, 1-1 CC) took the opener 6-2 behind a complete-game, seven-strikeout performance from Brendan DeMond before the Green Terror (11-8, 1-1 CC) plated six runs in the sixth inning of game two for a 10-4 victory.

Christopher finished the twinbill with four hits while Marshall Betts (Berlin, Md./Stephen Decatur) had six knocks. Joe Fiore (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Beach) and Brandon Hayward (Salisbury, Md./J.M. Bennett) had two hits each in both games.

Trailing 4-3, Fiore led off the bottom of the sixth with a single down the left field line before moving to second on a Sean Sivo (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) sacrifice.

After a wild pitch moved Fiore to third, Chad Nazelrod (Manchester, Md./Manchester Valley) was hit by a pitch and Hayward followed with a single to score Fiore and knot the game at 4-all.

A Tyler Jackow (Colonia, N.J./Colonia) RBI single scored Nazelrod from second before a pair of wild pitches scored Hayward for a 6-4 lead.

A Cameron Bahr (Southampton, N.J./Seneca) RBI single and back-to-back hit batsman made it a 7-4 game with the bases loaded for Fiore.

Fiore singled home Bahr and Betts to cap the frame with a 9-4 lead.

A Hayward walk, two wild pitches and Christopher RBI single in the eighth set the final margin.

Singles from Aaron Gillette and Avery Attinson to lead off the game put runners at the corners for Will Beneson, whose sacrifice fly staked Franklin & Marshall to a 1-0 lead.

Hayward led off the bottom of the inning with a single before a fielder's choice put two runners on before a Betts two-out double gave McDaniel a 2-1 lead.

A Christopher triple and Betts RBI single stretched the lead to 3-1 in the third.

A pair of singles, error and two-run single by Benenson gave the Diplomats a 4-3 advantage in the fifth.

Zach Jones (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) struck out six in eight innings of work to improve to 6-1 on the year.

In game one, three straight one-out singles from Matt Mezansky, Alex Vescara and Joe Gallitto coupled with three errors gave Franklin & Marshall a 3-0 lead in the top of the second.

A Betts one-out home run, Hayward single, Fiore double and Andrew Hofmeister (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) closed the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning.

An Attinson sacrifice fly scored Pat Andrews, who led off the inning with a single, for a 4-2 lead in fourth.

Singles from Kevin Shields and Vescera around a Mezansky triple in the ninth set the final margin.

The Green Terror returns to action at Washington (Md.) on Tuesday. Game time is 3:30 p.m.

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