LEXINGTON, Ky. – A spot in the championship round of the 2024 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament was up for grabs on Saturday (May 11) afternoon, with second-seeded Franklin taking on third-seeded Mount St. Joseph in an elimination game.
A dramatic contest came down to the final innings, but the Grizzlies (27-14) had their season come to a close as the Lions (26-15) moved on with a 5-3 victory.
How it Happened
Eriana Wagner got the Grizzlies on the board in the bottom of the first, leading off the frame with her 17
th home run of the year to cut the Lions' lead to 2-1. The Lions added a run in the third but Franklin got it back in the bottom of the same inning, with a defensive mishap on a
Genesis Munoz fly ball allowed
Ruth Kaiser to score and make it a 3-2 game.
One inning later, the Grizzlies got back to even with pinch hitter
Kennedy Bond delivering a two-out RBI single. The game stayed tied until the sixth, when the Lions got two straight RBI singles with two outs to take the lead. Franklin brought the tying run to the plate in both the sixth and seventh innings, but couldn't get the game back to even.
Six different Grizzlies finished the game with one hit, with
Stephanni Kleber going 2-for-2 after entering the game as a pitcher. Kleber (8-7) worked five innings in relief of starter
Lauren Duncan, giving up three earned runs with two walks and two strikeouts.