EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Playing their first two games of the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 25), the Franklin softball team opened their season with a pair of exciting victories.
 
The Grizzlies (2-0) rallied for five runs in the bottom of the seventh in game one to earn a walk-off 6-5 win over University of the Ozarks. Game two was less stressful for the Griz, as they rolled to a 9-1 win over Monmouth College in six innings.
 
Game One: Franklin 6 – University of the Ozarks 5
The opening game went scoreless until the bottom half of the fourth when Sydney Rodeghier ripped a two-out double into left that scored Eriana Wagner from first. But that lead didn't last as Ozarks plated all five of their runs in the fifth on seven hits, chasing Franklin starter Sydney Pitts in the process.
 
Franklin had no answer in the fifth and sixth frames and headed into their final at-bat facing a 5-1 deficit. Franklin began the rally with a lead-off single from Annie Kluemper that started a string of five straight Franklin hits. Sydney Bostic followed with an RBI double, then Genesis Munoz with an RBI single to make it 5-3. Molly Wallace kept the rally going with an RBI triple and Kennedy Bond tied the game at five with a pinch-hit RBI single.
 
With two outs and two runners in scoring position, Rodeghier delivered the walk-off hit when she beat out an infield single that scored Hadley Fuhrman and capped the comeback.
 
Fuhrman (1-0) was brilliant in relief of Pitts in the circle, tossing 2.2 innings of one-hit ball in relief with three strikeouts in her first career game. Rodeghier, Bostic, Munoz and Wagner all finished the game with two hits.
 
Game Two: Franklin 9 – Monmouth 1 (6 inn.)
Franklin headed into the top of the fifth facing a 1-0 deficit but the bats were about to wake up for the Griz. Kluemper put the Grizzlies in front with a two-run triple and Munoz added a two-run double two batters later. The Grizzlies added two more runs in the frame with Munoz scoring on a wild pitch and an error leading to their sixth and final run of the frame.
 
The Grizzlies continued to punish Fighting Scot pitching in the sixth, recording four more hits with Munoz bringing in a run with a single and Wagner driving in two with a double. A scoreless bottom of the inning brought the game to a close.
 
Franklin had 10 of their 14 hits in the final two innings. Munoz had three hits and three RBI with Kluemper, Bostic, Ravyn McClaren and Skylar Weber also recording multi-hit games. In the circle, Stephanni Kleber (1-0) went the distance, giving up one unearned run and striking out eight.
 
Up Next
Franklin has two more contests on tap for Sunday (Feb. 26), taking on Carroll and DePauw to close out the weekend. First pitch is set for 12 PM eastern time.