Franklin softball tops Greenwood

<p>Greenwood’s softball team outhit rival Franklin on Wednesday evening and left fewer runners on base, but it was the host Grizzly Cubs that made the plays they needed to make.</p><p>Franklin put together a couple of four-run innings and turned four double plays to secure a 10-6 win over the Woodmen.</p><p>The victory gives the Grizzly Cubs (14-4, 10-2 Mid-State Conference) a chance to gain a share of the league title if it can sweep first-place Decatur Central next week.</p><p>&quot;Our defense definitely made a difference,&quot; Franklin coach Kilah Dickey said, &quot;and our hitting. We did a lot better at the plate than we did last night.&quot;</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>After grinding out a 3-1 victory at Greenwood on Tuesday, the Grizzly Cubs opened Wednesday’s affair up early, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first to take command.</p><p>Izzy Harrison and Emma Rutan led off with consecutive singles, and both came home when a hot grounder to third by Maddie Hedges was mishandled and bounced out into shallow left. Bostyn Parkhurst and Morgan Carter then drew bases-loaded walks with two out to make it 4-0 before reliever Tori Stout came in and got Harrison to pop out, preventing any greater damage.</p><p>Greenwood got one back in the second with four consecutive base hits, including an RBI knock by Stout, but the visitors ran themselves out of the inning when an Anna Pritchett single with two on turned into a 9-4-6-2 double play.</p><p>Hedges scored on a bases-loaded error in the bottom of the inning, and Baylee Parker singled Carter home in the third to stretch the Franklin lead to 6-1.</p><p>Alysea Wiedenhaupt hit a solo homer in the fourth for Greenwood, which added two more runs in the fifth on consecutive RBI singles by Kiley Hankenhoff and Dominique Proctor. The Grizzly Cubs escaped that jam with their third inning-ending double play of the day.</p><p>Franklin gave itself some insurance in the bottom of the sixth when Carter poked a two-out, two-run double to the gap in right-center field, Harrison legged out an RBI infield single and Rutan added a run-scoring single to left.</p><p>Hankenhoff and Proctor each batted in another run in the seventh, but Franklin pitcher Emma Daudy was able to seal the victory.</p><p>Reess, Wiedenhaupt and Allison Hayes each had three of Greenwood’s 16 hits. Carter and Rutan had three hits apiece for the Grizzly Cubs.</p><p>Greenwood will have a chance at redemption on Friday when the two teams meet up yet again in the opening round of the Johnson County tournament.</p><p>&quot;The hope is that I’ve learned more about them than they have about us,&quot; Woodmen coach Greg Norwood said, &quot;so that we can put up a few extra runs.&quot;</p>