KOKOMO, Ind. – The Franklin College baseball team began their post-season journey on Thursday (May 12) afternoon when they took on the #4 seed Anderson Ravens in their first game of the 2022 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament.

Senior Nick McClanahan turned in a gem for the Grizzlies (29-12), shutting down the Ravens (20-20) over eight innings. The Grizzlies scored twice in the first inning and never looked back on their way to a 7-3 win and a spot in the winner's bracket.

How it Happened
With two outs in the first, the Grizzlies rallied for a pair of runs to open the scoring. Matt Earley ripped a double into the gap that scored Sean Sullivan for the game's first rurn and one batter later, Tysen Lipscomb doubled the total with a single that brought Earley home.

The Ravens cut the lead in half in the third but Noah Wood restored the two-goal lead in the bottom of the inning with a two-out RBI single that made it a 3-1 game. Clinging to a one-run lead in the sixth, Franklin's offense came through with a big inning that put the game away. AJ Sanders brought home a run with a bases-loaded single and Sullivan followed with a big two-run double to make it a 6-2 game.

Lipscomb capped the scoring for Franklin when he scored on a wild pitch in the seventh.

McClanahan (6-0) was brilliant over eight innings of work, allowing two earned runs on six hits with five walks and seven strikeouts. The Union, Ky.-native moved into sole possession of third place in a single season with 87 strikeouts, and sits just four back of setting a new single season record.

Earley, Sullivan and Colby Reed had two hits each for the Grizzlies, leading the offense.

Up Next
The Grizzlies look to punch their ticket to Saturday's championship round with a win on Friday (May 13). Franklin will meet #2 seed Earlham with a spot in the championship round up for grabs. First pitch is set for approximately 3:30 p.m.