FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College baseball program celebrated its 15-man senior class on Sunday (May 2) as part of a Senior Day double-header against the Bluffton Beavers.

Game one saw the Grizzlies (19-11) get a career-long outing from starter Nick McClanahan in an 8-6 victory. The night cap saw Bluffton (15-21) keep the Franklin offense in check with 16 strikeouts in a 12-10 Beaver victory. 

Game One: Franklin 8 – Bluffton 6
Franklin used the long ball to jump in front with Logan Demkovich and Tysen Lipscomb socking back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the first inning to spot the home side a 3-0 lead. Bluffton cut the lead to one with one run in the third and another in the fifth, but Franklin got those runs back in the fifth with a run-scoring ground out from Quenton Wellington and sac fly from Ryan Bixler.

The Grizzlies added to their lead in the sixth with a two-run double from Sean Sullivan, who would score later in the inning on a fielding error to make it an 8-2 Franklin lead.

The Beavers would make things interesting with a four-run top of the ninth, but Jackson Young proved to be the stopper as he nailed down the final three outs to earn his first career save. McClanahan (4-0) was brilliant over his seven innings of work, scattering six hits and allowing two runs with three walks and a pair of strikeouts.

Game Two: Bluffton 12 – Franklin 10
Three batters into the bottom of the first, the Grizzlies jumped out in front with a two-run home run from Nick Wright. With the game tied an inning later, Wellington singled home a run and Ryan Bixler crushed a three-run home run to give Franklin a 6-2 lead after two.

Bluffton took their first lead of the day with two runs in the fourth and four in the fifth before a Demkovich sac fly in the bottom of the fifth stopped the run and made it 8-7 Beavers. Sullivan clubbed a two-run shot in the sixth and Wright smacked an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate with one out. But the comeback wasn't meant to be as the final two batters were retired in order.

Tyler Robinson got the start and allowed two earned runs on five hits with two strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings. Wright and Bixler finished with three RBI each to pace the offense.

Up Next
Franklin is back at home on Tuesday (May 4) afternoon for the first of two straight games against the Mount St. Joseph Lions. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m.