Friday morning's HCAC baseball tournament battle between Franklin and Hanover had everything you'd want in an elimination game, with both team's aces delivering dominating performances.
Eventually, though, it was the Panthers who were able to outlast Griz hurler
Chase Wagner and get to the bullpen before scoring a 5-1 victory in the 10th inning at Kokomo Municipal Stadium.
Franklin's season comes to an end with a 23-19 record.
"Honestly, 23 wins with all the newcomers we had was pretty solid," Griz coach
Lance Marshall said. "We had some big wins and showed some character winning eight of 10 in the HCAC down the stretch."
One of the newcomers was particularly sharp on Friday. Wagner, a transfer who redshirted at Ball State a year ago, gave the Grizzlies nine strong innings on the mound. He gave up an unearned run in the first inning and was a fortress from then on, scattering just four singles and a walk over the next eight innings. He retired 13 hitters in a row at one point, holding Hanover without a hit in the fourth through eighth innings.
When he exited the game after nine innings, Wagner had thrown 134 pitches, striking out eight Panthers while allowing four hits and walking three.
"
Chase Wagner pitched and absolute gem and deserved better on the back end," Marshall said.
Wagner did not depart with a lead, however, as Hanover starter John Girard was just as good. Franklin tied the game up in the seventh inning when
Ian Nuckles hit an 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall for a solo home run, and consecutive singles from
Zander Cobb and
Jaxon Henke immediately thereafter gave the Grizzlies a pair of baserunners with one out, but Girard was able to strand both and escape further damage. He also worked around a pair of
Drew Helton doubles, one leading off the second inning and another with two out in the eighth, without allowing another run to score.
Hanover scored four runs against the Griz bullpen in the top of the 10th, and Girard finished the game off with a scoreless bottom half. He threw 155 pitches, surviving eight Franklin hits for the win.
Helton, Nuckles and Henke each had a pair of hits for Franklin, which should be in position for a strong 2027 season with all but two lineup regulars returning. The Grizzlies graduate seven seniors: veteran infielders
Garrett DeHart and
Dyllan Redmon as well as pitchers
Caden Wilburn,
Aidan Ray,
Maddox Manes,
Reed Shaffer and
Anthony Supe.
