FRANKLIN – The Franklin softball team looked to keep a lengthy winning streak alive in their final two home games of the year, as they faced off with conference-leading Transylvania on Sunday (Apr. 27) afternoon at Behrens Field.
The Grizzlies (19-8, 9-5 HCAC) turned in two of their best efforts of the year and claimed a massive sweep of the Pioneers (23-6, 8-2 HCAC), winning game one 6-4 and taking game two 3-1. It runs Franklin's winning streak to nine in a row and gives Franklin their first sweep of the Pioneers since 2015.
Game One: Franklin 6 – Transylvania 4
The game faced a critical juncture in the top of the second, with the Pioneers plating three runs and forcing a Franklin pitching change. Enter
Kylie Kadel, who recorded three straight outs and kept the deficit at three runs. The Grizzlies struck in the bottom of the third, with
Molly Wallace driving in Franklin's first run with a fielder's choice and
Ruth Kaiser following with a three-run home run, her first at Behrens Field to make it 4-3 Grizzlies.
Franklin got some insurance in their half of the fifth, with
Eriana Wagner putting pressure on the Pioneers' defense on the base paths and forcing an errant throw that allowed her and Wallace to score and stretch the lead to 6-3. Transylvania added a run in the seventh and had the tying run at the plate, but Kadel induced a game-ending fly out to seal the win.
Kadel (3-0) battled the Pioneers over six innings, giving up one run on four hits with two walks in the longest outing of her career. Wagner tormented the Pioneers at the plate and on the bases, going 3-for-4 with a run scored to lead the offense.
Game Two: Franklin 3 – Transylvania 1
The Grizzlies got the jump in game two with a two-run first inning that saw
Olivia Staigl knock in the first run with a single and Wagner swipe home for the second day in a row to make it 2-0 Franklin. The Pioneers cut the lead in half in the third, but Transylvania would struggle with runners on base as they stranded two runners on base in each of the first four innings and 10 runners in total.
Staigl gave the home side a much-needed insurance run when she led off the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run. That proved to be all the help that
Zoey Kugelman (7-3) needed in the circle, as she didn't allow an earned run and struck out four in her second complete game outing of the week. Wagner, Staigl and Wallace all went 2-for-3 at the plate to power Franklin's offense.
Up Next
The Grizzlies hit the road for four games over the final week of the regular season, the first two coming on Wednesday (Apr. 30) afternoon against the Hanover Panthers. First pitch of game one from Hanover is set for 3:30 p.m.
