DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Franklin College softball team opened a six-game regular season ending road trip on Saturday (May 1) afternoon with two conference matchups with the Defiance Yellow Jackets.

Game one saw senior pitcher Alisha Burch flirt with perfection before Franklin (18-10, 7-5 HCAC) rallied to win 3-2 in eight innings and notch their sixth victory in a row. The night cap was another low-scoring event, with the Yellow Jackets (14-21-1, 6-8 HCAC) salvaging a split in a 4-3 Defiance win.

Game One: Franklin 3 – Defiance 2 (8 inn.)
Franklin's bats made a dent in the scoreboard early, with the visitors plating two runs in their first trip to the plate. Natalie Weber knocked in a run with a double and Sydney Bostic later brought a run home with a ground out to spot Franklin a 2-0 lead before the Yellow Jackets came to bat.

For nearly six innings, that proved to be all Burch needed as she did not allow a base runner through the first 5 1/3 innings. But once the first runner reached, two Yellow Jackets would score in the bottom of the sixth to break the perfect game and shutout. Neither team threatened in the seventh and Franklin was off to extras for the first time this year.

In the eighth, Bostic came through with her second game-winning hit in as many contests, lacing a two-out single into right field that plated Shelby Crockett. Burch set down the Jackets in order in the bottom of the frame, with the last out coming via her career-best 11th strikeout of the afternoon. Burch is now 10-4 on the season.

Game Two: Defiance 4 – Franklin 3
Abby Hickson brought the first run of the game home in the top of the first with a single and Bostic made it a 2-0 Franklin lead with a two-out RBI double in the third. Defiance erased the deficit in the bottom of the third, but Franklin got back in front in the top of the fifth when Sydney Rodeghier scored on a Crockett grounder.

But Defiance responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take their first lead of the day and Franklin's last six hitters were retired in order.

Weber was the lone Grizzly with multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Delanie Gourley (8-5) got the ball and suffered her first defeat in four starts, scattering nine hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Up Next
Franklin has two big conference matchups coming on Thursday (May 6) when they travel to Ohio to take on conference-leading Mount St. Joseph. First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m.