LANCASTER, Pa. – In the first game of a two-day set against Franklin & Marshall College, the Haverford College baseball team slipped into a tie with the Diplomats in the Centennial Conference standings after Thursday afternoon's 6-3 loss on F&M's Caplan Field.

Both the Fords and Diplomats have posted 11-4 records against league opponents, while Haverford has registered a 26-6 overall record versus F&M's 19-13 mark. Friday's 3:30 p.m. home game against the Dips will break the deadlock and move one of the teams into second place within the Centennial standings with just Saturday doubleheaders remaining on the league schedules.

Franklin & Marshall picked up the opening run in Thursday's game in a fourth inning that saw Haverford starting pitcher Jonny Williams limit the damage and escape a potentially big inning by getting out of a bases loaded jam.

The Fords pushed a pair of unearned runs across the plate to take the lead in the sixth with Bobby Bailey's two-RBI single. Charlie Carluccio had reached base on a single up the middle early in the inning, and Jeremy Zoll, batting just ahead of Bailey, reached on a fielder's choice. Both came in to score on Bailey's hit.

Williams had sailed through a pair of 1-2-3 innings after surrendering F&M its run in the fourth, but he got into trouble in the seventh. The Dips collected five hits in their five-run inning and were aided by a walk, hit batsman and a pair of wild pitches.

Haverford posted one more run on the board, in the top of the ninth, but the Diplomats were able to hang on for the important win.

The Fords threatened in several innings but couldn't pick up needed run support for Williams. They loaded the bases without scoring in the top of the first, had their lead-off batter at third in the fourth, and left a runner in scoring position at second base in the the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Williams (6-2) took the loss allowing six runs on 10 hits and three walks while fanning three over 6.2 innings on the mound. Colin Sarafin came on in relief of Williams in the seventh, picked up the final out of the frame then shut down F&M in the eighth with a three-up, three-down inning.

F&M starter Mike Duranti (5-2) earned the win going eight full innings and allowing just a pair of unearned runs on five Haverford hits and three walks.

After Friday's outing against the visiting Dips, the Fords will travel to Gettysburg College for a Saturday afternoon Centennial doubleheader.