A grand slam by senior Skyler Petrie was the big blow as the Muhlenberg baseball team defeated Franklin & Marshall, 9-4 in the second game of a doubleheader.

The Diplomats (5-1, 5-1), who came into the day undefeated and just four spots out of the 25 in the D3baseball.com Division III poll, took the opener, 19-4.

The Mules (2-2, 2-2) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second game on three singles, the last an RBI infield hit by senior Justin Kimmel. After a walk loaded the bases, Petrie unloaded them with his second home run in as many weekends. The grand slam was the first by a Muhlenberg player since 2017, the first at Cedarcreek Field since 2016 and the first in the bottom of the first inning since 2004.

Muhlenberg tacked on two runs in the second on a triple by freshman Jonathan Toth and a single by senior Robert Cappadona. The 7-0 lead was plenty for senior Paul Poppert (pictured above), who pitched seven strong innings, allowing only five hits and tying a career high with seven strikeouts, to earn his eighth career win.

Kimmel and junior Ryan Hebert had three hits apiece for the Mules.

F&M scored three unearned runs in the first inning of the opener and extended its lead in the middle innings. The highlight for the Mules was a three-run pinch-hit double by junior Danny Monzo in the sixth.