LANCASTER, Pa. – A dominant fourth-quarter effort powered the Bates men's lacrosse team to a 12-9 victory over Franklin & Marshall in its season opener Wednesday at Shadek Stadium.

Bates wasted little time getting on the board, as Gray Doyle found the net just 43 seconds into the contest off a feed from first-year Xander Frey. Franklin & Marshall responded with three consecutive goals, including a pair from Jacob Szczepanski (So.-Woodbine, Md.), to take a 3-1 lead midway through the opening quarter.

The Bobcats answered with two late first-period goals to even the score as Doyle struck again at 3:31 before Riley McClure buried an equalizer off a setup from Jake Anastas with just 18 seconds left in the frame.

Franklin & Marshall (1-1) built a 5-3 lead in the second after goals from Matt Marino (So.-Reisterstown, Md.)  and Preston Blue (Fy.-Hudson, Ohio), but Bates responded once again, with Connor Hartman finding the net twice in a one-minute span to tie the game at 5-5. A man-up goal from Ryan Roberts (Sr.-Winter Park, Fla.) briefly put the Diplomats back in front, but Hartman completed his first-half hat trick with an unassisted tally at 1:02 to send the game into halftime tied at 6-6.

The teams continued trading blows in the third quarter. Liam Rule put Bates in front at 11:39, finishing off a pass from Doyle, but F&M struck back with two goals in quick succession to take an 8-7 lead with 6:54 remaining. Ben Miller answered with an unassisted goal at 4:42, and Anastas put Bates ahead once again at 1:17. However, a late extra-man opportunity allowed the Diplomats to tie the game at 9-9 heading into the final quarter.

With the game on the line, Bates delivered its most complete quarter in the fourth. The Bobcats' defense locked in, shutting out Franklin & Marshall over the final 15 minutes, while the offense produced three clutch goals.

Denzel Evans broke the tie at 5:09 with a solo effort, and Hartman added his fourth goal at 4:01 to give the garnet and white breathing room. Frey capped the scoring at 2:39, converting a feed from Doyle to seal the victory. The tally marked the first collegiate goal for the rookie.

Bates outshot Franklin & Marshall 47-34 and held a commanding 20-3 edge in the face-off column. Miles Schmidt accounted for all 20 face-off wins, establishing a new single-game high for the sophomore. Hartman led all players with his four goals, which matches a career-best originally set on April 1, 2023 at Williams. Doyle ended the night with two goals and a pair of helpers.

Andrew Toland kicked off his sophomore season on a high note as the goalkeeper recorded six saves to earn the complete-game victory for Bates.

The Bobcats will return to action next Wednesday, Feb. 26, with a visit Emerson College in Boston, Mass. Start time is set for 6:00 p.m.