FRANKLIN – The Franklin baseball team continued a seven-game homestand on Wednesday (Mar. 15) afternoon, hosting the Wilmington Quakers.
 
The Grizzlies (6-5) jumped out to an early lead, but struggles on the mound would catch up to the home side as the Quakers (6-7) charged back and held off a late Franklin rally for a 14-11 win.
 
Franklin got three runs in the bottom of the first with Andrew Wallace drawing a bases loaded walk and starting pitcher Jonathan LaGuire helped himself by smacking a two-run double with two outs. One inning later, Sean Sullivan clubbed an RBI double to make it 4-0 and Sullivan made it a 6-1 game with a two-run home run in the fourth.
 
But the tide turned in the top of the fifth with an error that would have ended the inning leading to three Quaker runs and Wilmington took the lead for good an inning later. Franklin plated two runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to keep the game close, but their comeback bid would fall just short.
 
Sullivan went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four knocked in on the afternoon. LaGuire and Noah Wood both drove in two and AJ Sanders scored three times for the Grizzlies at the top of the lineup. On the base paths, Tysen Lipscomb swiped three bags.
 
LaGuire didn't allow a hit over four innings in his first career start for the Grizzlies, allowing one unearned run with three walks and four strikeouts.
 
Franklin is set to begin a three-game series with the Trine Thunder on Sunday (Mar. 19) afternoon. First pitch of the day is set for 2:00 p.m.