Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Franklin softball had lost the lead and lost the momentum — but the thought of losing the game never crossed the Grizzlies' minds.

Jasmine Day's RBI single brought home pinch runner Jaclyn Diersing with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the host Griz a 7-6 walk-off win over Mount St. Joseph in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader at Behrens Field.

"You could feel them when they walked in the dugout — there was no doubt," Franklin coach Britt Harvey said. "They knew exactly what they were going to do, because they've been doing it all year. They never give up, they continue to fight, and you could feel it coming off of them when they walked out. To them, they walked in the dugout and it was a 0-0 ball game; it was a one-inning game, and they had to go win the one-inning game. And they did it."

With the win, Franklin (30-10, 14-4 HCAC) secured a share of the regular-season conference title, matching the Lions atop the standings. The Grizzlies will also be the number one seed for next week's HCAC tournament in Kokomo.

MSJ, which had won game one by a 6-1 score, plated a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 6-6, but the Griz came out in the bottom half determined to finish the job. McKenna Lucas drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a base hit to right field by Kaylee Stewart. Zoey Kugelman reached on a fielder's choice that left runners at the corners and two out with Day coming to the plate.

The freshman delivered in a huge spot, ripping an 0-1 pitch into left field to send Diersing home from third and the rest of the Grizzlies streaming out of the dugout to celebrate.

"I wasn't producing the first game, so I was really just like, 'I need to do something for my team here,'" Day said. "I had Jackie on third, who I grew up with, I've played with her for 10 years, and I was just really comfortable. Zoey at first, she was giving me a little wink — she was like, 'You've got this.' Jaylee behind me — I knew even if I just got on base, bases loaded, Jaylee would hit us in.

"I saw a ball down, and I was thinking just run it out, and hopefully Jackie gets to (home) if the girl stops it."

After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning of game two, Franklin got going with two out in the bottom of the second. Liv Staigl and Lucas walked and Kugelman singled to load the bases for Day, who tied the game up with a double into right center field. Jaylee Fansler then followed with a base hit up the middle to plate Kugelman and Day, giving the Griz a 4-2 advantage.

The Lions then crept back within a run twice only to have the Grizzlies answer both times. Ruth Kaiser scored on a fifth-inning error to make it 5-3, and an RBI double down the left-field line by Kendall Lowry gave Franklin a 6-4 lead going into the fateful seventh.

MSJ took control of the opening game early, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding an unearned run in the second, then tacking on some insurance with two more in the seventh.

The Grizzly bats were quiet for most of that game, totaling just six hits. Franklin got its lone run in the fourth inning, when Fansler led off with a double, took third on a Lowry single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kaiser. A double to left center by Staigl gave the Grizzlies runners on second and third with one out, but the Lions were able to escape with a double play and keep the home team at bay the rest of the way.

Those game one frustrations, though, helped fuel the Grizzlies in the nightcap.

"We knew we were going to hit them," Day said.

Up next is a trip to the conference tournament, where Franklin will try to claim the crown for the first time since 2018.

"We go back to the drawing board," Harvey said. "We know who we're going to see ... so we just go back to the drawing board. We've seen everybody in conference, and now we go back, looking at hitters, breaking down hitters, re-map our sequencing and go for it."

"We've seen everybody," Day added. "We're ready."