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Box Score 2 FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College baseball team welcomed one of the top teams in the conference to John P. McDowell Field on Wednesday (Apr. 7) afternoon, with the Transylvania Pioneers in town for a pair of contests.
Franklin (10-5) broke game one open early and coasted to a 19-2 win that was called after six innings due to lightning in the area. After a lengthy delay, game two was decided by a Ryan Bixler home run that closed out a sweep of the Pioneers (12-6) in a 7-5 win.
Game One: Franklin 19 – Transylvania 2 (6 inn.)
Jacob Heuchan put Franklin on top with a run-scoring single in the first inning and the Grizzlies added to their lead with a five-run second inning. Colby Reed, Ryan Bixler and Tysen Lipscomb all knocked home runs in the second to make it a 6-0 game.
Nick Wright and Logan Demkovich padded the lead with RBI singles in the third and the Grizzly bats stayed hot with seven runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth before the lightning rolled into the area.
Lipscomb went 4-for-4 with four RBI, Demkovich homered and drove in four runs of his own. Mitch Merica (3-0) turned in a strong six-inning outing, scattering six hits and striking out a pair in a complete game win.
Game Two: Franklin 7 – Transylvania 5 (5 inn.)
The Pioneers claimed their first lead of the day in the opening inning, but it was short-lived as Franklin plated five in the bottom of the first. Heuchan tied the game with a single and Lipscomb followed with a two-run triple to put the hosts in front. Sean Sullivan and Bixler would add RBI later in the inning.
The Pioneers would respond with a run in the third and three in the fifth off Franklin starter Nick McClanahan. With darkness setting in over the field and just one run needed to make the game an official contest, Bixler stepped in with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and clobbered his third home run of the year for the game's winning runs.
McClanahan (3-0) struck out five batters over five innings of work to pick up the win.
Up Next
Franklin closes out a seven-game homestand on Saturday (Apr. 10) afternoon with two games against the Manchester Spartans. First pitch is set for noon.
