HOLLAND, Mich. – The Franklin College softball team resumed non-conference play on Thursday (Mar. 30) afternoon with two games against the Flying Dutch of Hope College.
 
The two teams split a pair of tightly-contested matchups, with Hope (12-7) taking the opener in extra innings, 6-5 and Franklin (15-5) rebounding in game two for a 5-1 victory.
 
Game One: Hope 6 – Franklin 5 (9 inn.)
Eriana Wagner put the Grizzlies in front two batters into the game with a two-run home run to give her a team-high four on the year. Hope responded with three runs in the second and another in the fifth to make it a 4-2 game but the Grizzlies had a counter in their half of the sixth. Genesis Munoz drove home a run with a one-out double and Annie Kluemper knocked in the tying run with a two-out single in the frame.
 
Both teams got a run home in the eighth inning but the Dutch kept the Griz off the board in the ninth before driving in the winning run in the bottom of the frame.
 
Kluemper went 3-for-4 at the dish to pace the offense and Wagner scored twice. Sydney Pitts (7-3) went a career-long 8.1 innings in the circle, giving up four earned runs.
 
Game Two: Franklin 5 – Hope 1
The Grizzlies got on the board in the top of the third with a sac fly from Sydney Bostic and Bostic doubled Franklin's lead in the fifth with a two-out RBI single that brought Sydney Rodeghier home. The Dutch got back within a run in the sixth but the Grizzlies put things out of reach with three runs in the seventh. Kluemper drove home her second run of the game with a single and Kaylee Stewart punctuated the inning with a two-run single to cap the scoring.
 
Stewart, Kluemper and Rodeghier all had two hits in four trips to the plate. In the circle, Stephanni Kleber (8-2) allowed the one unearned run on eight hits with three strikeouts in a complete game effort.
 
Up Next
Franklin opens up conference play on Sunday (Apr. 2) afternoon with two games against defending conference champion Mount St. Joseph. First pitch from Cincinnati is set for 1:00 p.m.