LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Franklin College softball team aimed to keep their season alive on Friday (May 14) on day two of the 2021 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) tournament.

In the first elimination game of the day, the Grizzlies held off a furious rally from Anderson to earn a 10-6 win and send the Ravens home. That set up a rematch with top-seeded Transylvania in the final elimination matchup of the day, one that saw the Pioneers end the Grizzlies' season with a 9-4 win.

Game One: Franklin 10 – Anderson 6
Franklin erased an early deficit with a two-run second inning that gave them a lead they would hold the rest of the day. Emily Streib got Franklin on the board with an RBI single that plated Shelby Crockett and pinch-runner Reanne Brinker would come home alter in the inning on a Samantha Cain sac fly to give the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead.

The Grizzlies padded their lead in the fourth thanks to an RBI single from Sydney Rodeghier and a two-run single from Annie Kluemper that stretched the lead to 5-1. Another Kluemper RBI single in the fifth stretched Franklin's lead to 6-1 and the Grizzlies appeared to be in cruise control.

But the Ravens would get right back in the game with a three-run sixth inning to close the gap to two with one inning to play. Franklin made sure that's as close the Ravens would get, plating four runs in their final at-bat with Makayla Plymale, Rodeghier and Sydeny Bostic all knocking in runs.

Alisha Burch (12-6) took the ball for game one and struck out four in a complete game effort. Kluemper paced the offense with three hits and three RBI as Franklin recorded 15 hits off four Anderson pitchers.

Game Two: Transylvania 9 – Franklin 4
Franklin got the early jump with a three-run top of the first inning. With the bags full and two out in the inning, Shelby Crockett clubbed a bases-clearing double into left field, giving Franklin the advantage. The Pioneers got a run back in the first, but Franklin would got back in front by three when a third inning error allowed Brinker to score and make the lead 4-1.

But the visitors would run out of gas and after a two-run third followed by a four-run fourth, the Pioneers had the lead for good. Franklin would put runners in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, respectively, but couldn't come up with a run-scoring hit.

Burch (12-7) took the ball for game two, allowing four earned runs over 3 1/3 innings. Kluemper continued a strong day at the plate with two hits in three at-bats with a run scored.

The Grizzlies finish the 2021 season with a 21-15 record, reaching the HCAC Tournament for the fifth straight season.