With its back against the wall after an opening-game loss, Franklin College went into NCAA Division III regional play on Saturday needing a win against host Birmingham Southern to keep its season alive.
The top-seeed Panthers put any such hopes to bed early, scoring eight runs in the first four innings and keeping their foot on the gas throughout to eliminate the Grizzlies, 16-2.
Franklin College finishes the season with a 33-13 record.
Down 2-0 after Birmingham Southern scored single runs in each of the first two frames, the Grizzlies got on the board in the bottom of the second when Colby Reed delivered a base hit to left that scored Dyllan Redmon. The Panthers, though, struck back with three runs in the third inning and three more in the fourth to take command.
Noah Wood’s RBI double plated Sean Sullivan in the eighth for the other Franklin College run, but by that point the game was out of reach. Birmingham Southern scored in every inning but one and had four three-run innings.
The Grizzlies finished with five hits to the Panthers’ 19.
With just two seniors in its regular lineup, Franklin College figures to be in strong position to defend its HCAC regular-season and tournament titles in 2024 and put itself back into the NCAA field.
