The Muhlenberg women’s tennis team played its third 5-4 match in a week, falling to Franklin & Marshall, the second-place team in the Centennial Conference and the 11th-ranked team in the Atlantic South Region.

The Mules (5-6, 5-4) also lost to Elizabethtown (10th in the region) and defeated Gettysburg (19th in the region) in the last seven days. Muhlenberg is 18th in the region.

The loss did not damage the Mules’ CC playoff chances: They can still earn the fourth and final berth by winning at Washington on Saturday.

At No. 1 doubles, sophomore Jenn Powell and senior Pam Kimmelman scored a 9-7 win over the 17th-ranked duo in the region. Kimmelman added a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles for her 10th win in a row.

Sophomore Carly Rotfeld also extended her winning streak, remaining undefeated for the year with her fifth career 6-0, 6-0 shutout.

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The Muhlenberg baseball team came back three times but not a fourth and dropped a 10-8 decision in 10 innings to regionally ranked Ursinus.

Trailing 3-1, the Mules (7-17, 3-8) took their first lead with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Ryan Sassaman had the big hit in the inning, a two-run double down the left-field line with the bases loaded.

The Bears (19-9, 9-4) regained their two-run advantage by scoring four times in the top of the fifth. That lead stood until the bottom of the seventh, when Sassaman was hit by a pitch to lead off, freshman Eric Pomroy doubled, and both runners came around to score on outs.

Ursinus scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth to go up, 8-7. Muhlenberg was down to its final strike – actually, past its final strike – when it tied the score in the bottom of the ninth. Senior Mike Hart doubled and was on third with two out when sophomore Chris Costa struck out on a pitch in the dirt. The catcher’s bounced throw to first could not be handled, allowing Costa to reach safely and Hart to score with the tying run.

The Bears went ahead for the fourth and final time by plating two unearned runs in the top of the 10th. The Mules got a leadoff single in the bottom of the 10th, but the next three batters were retired.

Freshman Dan Fisher led the 15-hit attack by going 4-for-5. He is hitting .625 (10-for-16) in the last four games. Sassaman scored two runs to move into fourth place on the program’s all-time list with 98 in his career. Senior Pete Oris drove in two runs and is now tied for second in team history with 103 career RBI.

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