FRANKLIN – The Franklin softball team opened up an 11-game homestand on Tuesday (Apr. 9) afternoon, hosting Hope College in a pair of non-conference contests.
The Grizzlies (15-5) extended their winning streak to six games with a sweep of the Flying Dutchmen (16-9), taking game one 6-1 and holding on for a 4-3 victory in game two.
Junior
Eriana Wagner had six hits, two home runs and scored five times over the two games, as Franklin led for all but one half of an inning against their regional foes.
Game One: Franklin 6 – Hope 1
Wagner kicked off the scoring with a leadoff home run in the first and
Molly Wallace clubbed a two-run home run two batters later to spot Franklin a 3-0 lead before their first out was recorded. The Grizzlies got some insurance in the third thanks to a two-run double from
Karrsen Pruitt and a fifth inning RBI double from
Genesis Munoz.
It proved to be more than enough support for starter
Lauren Duncan (7-2), as she scattered four hits and walked one in a complete game effort.
Game Two: Franklin 4 - Hope 3
Down by a run in the first, Franklin jumped in front thanks to back-to-back two-out RBI singles from
Kendall Lowry and
Ruth Kaiser. Kaiser made it 3-1 Franklin in the third with another RBI single and that lead would hold until the fifth when Hope got a run back.
Wagner gave the hosts some breathing room they would need in the sixth with her second solo home run of the day to make it 4-2. Hope got back within a run with two outs in the seventh, but Wagner squeezed the game's final out on a deep fly ball to center.
Wagner and Lowry both went 3-for-4 at the plate and Kaiser finished 2-for-3 with a pair of runs knocked in.
Stephanni Kleber (4-3) earned the win with a complete game effort, giving up two earned runs on eight hits with one punch out.
Up Next
Franklin gets back into conference play on Wednesday (Apr. 10), hosting Hanover. First pitch from Behrens Field is set for 3:30 p.m.
