LANCASTER, Pa. - The Swarthmore College baseball team just missed a playoff berth for the third consecutive season on Saturday, sealing its fate in a doubleheader split with the rival Franklin & Marshall Diplomats. Following yesterday's loss, the Garnet would have needed to sweep today's games in order to make the playoffs; however, the team fell in the first game, 6-1, before taking a 13-10 victory in Game 2.

Sophomore centerfielder Trevor Shepherd picked up three hits in Game 1, and drove in three runs in Game 2. Sophomore catcher Joe Rizzo and freshman shortstop John Lim also knocked in three runs each in the second game and earned two hits apiece in the first.

In Game 1, Swarthmore went down early and couldn't recover. The Diplomats scored three times in the first, and went up 6-0 before the Garnet pushed across its lone run in the fifth, when senior right fielder Tim Kwilos singled in Shepherd.

Sophomore Luke Alventosa started and was charged with six runs over six innings, although only four were earned. He was relieved by senior Sean Mangus, who threw two hitless innings to finish the game.

Swarthmore came out ready for revenge in Game 2, however, scoring nine times in the first two innings. In the first, Rizzo and Shepherd knocked in three runs total on a fielder's choice and a two-run single; in the second, bases loaded singles by Rizzo and Lim highlighted a six-run frame.

The Diplomats attempted a comeback, putting up five in the third to close the gap to 9-6, but Swarthmore answered with three in the fourth, including RBIs from Lim and Kwilos. Franklin & Marshall never quite went away, scoring four more times throughout the course of the game, but the Garnet eventually prevailed by a 13-10 score.

Sophomore Samer Nashed was Swarthmore's pitching star, throwing three scoreless innings and striking out three.

The Garnet wraps up the 2013 season on Monday in a non-Conference game against Gwynedd Mercy at Clothier Field. First pitch is set for 4:00 pm.