LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Franklin softball team put their post-season lives at stake on Friday (May 12) in the elimination bracket of the 2023 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament.
 
The Grizzlies (31-13) fought off elimination twice, besting fourth-seeded Manchester in game one by an 11-3 count before knocking out fifth-seeded Hanover in their second game of the day, 4-3.
 
The two wins also set a new program bench mark for wins in a season, with the 31 victories eclipsing the previous program record of 30 set back in 2018. It is just the second 30-win campaign in program history.
 
Game One: #3 Franklin 11 - #4 Manchester 3 (6 inn.)
Both sides were locked in a scoreless contest until the top of the third, when a two-out error with the bases loaded allowed all three Manchester runners to cross home plate and put the Griz in an early hole. Franklin began their comeback bid in the bottom of the third with an RBI ground out by Annie Kleumper and a run-scoring single from Sydney Bostic.
 
Kaylee Stewart tied the game in the fourth with an RBI single and Franklin took their first lead of the day with a Genesis Munoz RBI single in the fifth that made it 4-2. The Griz opened up the flood gates in the sixth, scoring seven runs to bring the game to a close. Shelby Crockett, Sydney Rodeghier, Molly Wallace, Eriana Wagner, Ravyn McClaren and Bostic all drove home runs with base hits to cap the comeback win.
 
Sydney Pitts got the start and didn't allow an earned run over 4.1 innings of work. Stephanni Kleber (16-5) entered the game in the fifth and gave up one base runner over 1.2 innings to earn the win.
 
Game Two: #3 Franklin 4 - #5 Hanover 3
Both teams stranded runners in scoring position in the first, setting up what would remain a scoreless draw until the top of the fourth when Wagner clubbed a two-run home run to straightaway center field. Two innings later, Wagner stretched the lead to 4-0 when she launched a ball that landed just inside the left field foul pole for the first multi-home run game of her career.
 
Things got tense as Hanover brought three runs home in the sixth but the Panthers left two runners on at the end of the inning. Pitts entered in the bottom of the seventh and worked a scoreless frame to earn the first save of her career.
 
Wagner and Bostic had two hits each for the Franklin offense. Kleber (17-5) got the start and scattered six hits over six innings to claim her second victory of the day.
 
Up Next
Franklin will have a chance to advance to the HCAC Championship series on Saturday (May 13), when they take on either top-seeded Transylvania or second-seeded Mount St. Joseph in another elimination game.
 
First pitch is set for 12:30 p.m.