BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Franklin baseball team put their season on the line on Saturday (May 20) afternoon, taking on top-seeded Birmingham Southern in the first elimination game of the Birmingham regional.
 
The Grizzlies saw their season come to a close as the Panthers stayed alive in the regional with a 16-2 victory.  
 
Colby Reed drove in a run in the second and Noah Wood brought home a run in the eighth for the FC offense, but the Grizzlies managed just five hits on the day and the Panthers put the game out of reach with back-to-back three-run innings in the third and fourth.
 
Matthew Johnson (6-2) got the start on the mound and scattered five hits over three innings. Will Butts, Sam Peck, Dylan Sprong and Jonathon LaGuire-Cruz all saw action in relief of the Grizzly starter.
 
Franklin finishes the year with a 33-13 record, with the 33 wins the second-most in a season in program history behind the 39 wins the team racked up in 2018. Franklin set a new program record for home runs in a season with 72 round-trippers hit.