ANDERSON, Ind. – The Franklin softball team faced their first conference road test of the year on Saturday (Apr. 6), battling the Anderson Ravens in a pair of contests.
The Grizzlies (13-5, 4-0 HCAC) dominated the opener, hammering the Ravens (2-12, 0-2 HCAC) by an 8-0 score in five innings. Game two saw the Ravens score the game's first six runs, but Franklin stormed back to force extras and win 8-6 in eight innings.
Game One: Franklin 8 – Anderson 0 (5 inn.)
A first inning RBI single from
Molly Wallace set the tone and Franklin put the game our of reach with a five-run second, highlighted by a three-run home run from
Eriana Wagner.
The Grizzlies got RBI singles from
Kendall Lowry and
Shelby Crockett in the second and a two-run sac fly from
Genesis Munoz in the fourth to cap the scoring. Freshman starter
Lauren Duncan (6-2) had all the run support she needed to slam the door on the Ravens, as she gave up two hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts in a complete game.
Wallace went 3-for-3 at the plate with Wagner recording a pair of hits at the top of the order. Wagner, Wallace and
Ruth Kaiser all scored twice.
Game Two: Franklin 8 – Anderson 6 (8 inn.)
The Grizzlies faced a major uphill battle after Anderson scored once in the fourth and five times in the fifth while Franklin's bats struggled to get going in their first five trips to the dish. The Grizzlies got one back in the sixth on a fielder's choice, but still trailed 6-1 down to their final out. That ended up being the time for the bats to come alive as Franklin scored five straight with Munoz and Crockett delivering a pair of two-run singles and
Karrsen Pruitt tying the game with an RBI single.
The comeback was completed in the eighth with Wagner plating the go-ahead run on a sac fly and
Kaylee Stewart scoring on a passed ball later in the frame.
Abi Exl (4-0) set the Ravens down in order in the bottom of the inning, capping 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Munoz went 3-for-3 at the plate with Wallace, Crockett and Stewart all recording two hits.
Up Next
Franklin is back at home on Tuesday (Apr. 9) afternoon, hosting Hope College. First pitch from Behrens Field is set for 2:00 p.m.