FRANKLIN, Ind. – Franklin College outlasted visiting HCAC baseball foe Defiance 7-5 and captured their three-game series at McDowell Field this afternoon.

The Grizzlies improved to 7-3 in the Heartland Conference and 19-5 overall while the Yellow Jackets fell to 1-9 in the league and 8-16.

Franklin, ranked 30th in Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's Division III Top 30 poll, trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the third inning, but took control with five runs in the frame.

Junior shortstop Jordon Klinedinst singled in a run and outfielders Jameson Brock and Kevin Entwistle both drove in two runs with a base hit in the third.

The Grizzlies tallied their first run in the second inning on a ground-out by freshman third baseman Dylan Reyher. Reyher hit a solo home run well over the fence in left-center field to give FC an insurance run in the eighth.

Franklin freshman pitcher Jacob Burns pitched the first five innings to earn his first win. Teammate Seth Powers worked the last two innings to notch his first save. Freshman Ryan Kendall relieved Burns in the sixth.

He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh when sophomore center fielder Scott Windler ran down a pop fly to shallow left-center with two outs.