Box Score FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College baseball team opened post-season play on Friday (May 14) afternoon, hosting Mount St. Joseph in game one of the three-game opening round series.
The Grizzlies (24-12) moved one step closer to the championship round with a 12-7 win over the Lions (12-24) to take a 1-0 series lead. Franklin got contributions up and down the lineup and a dominant relief performance from one of their top arms to take the win.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when the Grizzly bats found their groove in the second trip through the order. Ryan Bixler brought home Sean Sullivan with a single against a shifted infield to open the scoring and Tysen Lipscomb stretched the lead to 3-0 with a two-run double.
The Mount cut the lead to one in their half of the fourth but Franklin would get those runs back and then some in the fourth. Sullivan drove in a pair with a triple and came in to score one batter later on a Quenton Wellington double. Wellington extended the lead to 7-2 a few batters later, crossing the dish on a passed ball.
But the lead evaporated with five Lion runs in the top of the fifth that brought the game back to even and chased Franklin starter Krae Sparks. Alex Reinoehl entered from the bullpen and locked up the Lions for the rest of the afternoon, getting a little support along the way.
A wild pitch in the sixth allowed Sullivan to score from third to put Franklin back in front and Franklin added three more runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it 11-7. Nick Wright added another run for good measure with an RBI single in the eighth.
Reinoehl (7-2) was stellar out of the bullpen in five shutout innings, allowing two hits and walking one while fanning a career-high seven batters. Sparks allowed four hits and fanned one over four-plus innings as the game one starter.
Sullivan paced the offense with three hits, three runs scored, two triples and two RBI. Each of Franklin's 1-4 hitters had two hits on the afternoon.
The two teams will be back at it on Saturday (May 15) at McDowell Field. First pitch of game two is set for 12:00 p.m. with an if necessary game to follow.
