NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – The Franklin College softball team brought the regular season to a close on Saturday (May 4) afternoon, taking on the Manchester Spartans in an afternoon double header.
 
The Grizzlies (26-12, 15-3 HCAC) finished off their regular season with a split, taking game one 10-2 before dropping game two to the Spartans (19-17, 8-9 HCAC) by a 7-4 count. The 15 conference wins are a new single season program record and Franklin will head into next week's conference tournament as the number two seed.
 
Game One: Franklin 10 – Manchester 2
Shelby Crockett plated the game's first run with an RBI double in the second and Franklin took the lead for good with a two-run double from Kaylee Stewart in the fourth to make it a 3-1 game. Eriana Wagner clubbed home runs in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively and the Grizzlies scored seven times over the final three innings to seal the win.
 
Kendall Lowry went 3-for-4 to lead the offense with Wagner and Crockett both recording two hits. Lauren Duncan (13-5) went the distance in the circle, scattering eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
 
Game Two: Manchester 7 – Franklin 4
Franklin pulled ahead in the second inning thanks to an RBI single from Skylar Weber and a two-run single by Ruth Kaiser to make it a 3-2 game. But the Spartans would score the next five runs and despite another RBI double from Stewart in the sixth, Franklin's comeback bid would fall short.
 
Crockett was the lone Grizzly with two hits, finishing 2-for-3 at the plate. Stephanni Kleber (8-6) made the start in the circle, striking out six over 4.1 innings.
 
Up Next
Franklin will head to Lexington, Ky. for the 2024 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament, with their first game set for Thursday, May 9 at 5:30 p.m. against the winner of the #3 vs. #6 game earlier in the day.