RICHMOND, Ind. – The Franklin baseball team looked to secure a series win over the Earlham Quakers when the two teams met for the rubber match of their three-game set on Sunday (Apr. 27) afternoon.
The Grizzlies (19-17, 10-9 HCAC) got eight strong innings on the hill from
Luke Harmon and put the game well out of reach with a three-run ninth to take down the Quakers (16-20, 9-11 HCAC) 8-2.
How it Happened
The top of the Franklin order helped eliminate an early deficit with a two-run third inning that put the Grizzlies in front for good. Back-to-back two out doubles from
Nic Deering and
Josh Girvan tied the game and Girvan came home to score on a
Dyllan Redmon single to make it a 2-1 game. Franklin relied on more two-out heroics to add to their lead in the fifth, with Girvan knocking in a run with his second RBI double of the game and scoring later in the inning on an error to stretch the lead to 4-1.
The Quakers got a run back in the bottom of the fifth but no Earlham base runners would sniff home plate the rest of the day. Franklin padded the lead with a solo home run from
Luke Willmann in the sixth and RBIs from Deering, Girvan and
Colin Goley in the ninth to put the game away.
Harmon (3-2) was stellar over his eight innings, allowing both runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts over a 138-pitch outing.
Girvan went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three driven with two more stolen bases, giving him seven total steals for the weekend series.
Up Next
The Grizzlies open a four-game homestand to close the regular season on Tuesday (Apr. 29) afternoon, taking on the Wilmington Quakers. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m.
