NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – Friday the 13th didn't bring bad luck to the Franklin College baseball team this morning. In fact, the Grizzlies' post-season fortunes have taken a real turn for the better.
For the first time ever, FC has advanced to the provisional championship game of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference double-elimination championship tournament via the winner's bracket.
Franklin rallied, scoring four runs in the top of the eighth inning, and held on to topple top-seeded and host Manchester 9-7 in the first of three tourney contests today.
The No. 2 seed Grizzlies (28-12) advanced to the provisional championship game, Game 6, which is scheduled for noon Saturday at Gratz Field on the Manchester campus. Franklin will take on the winner of today's third clash, Game 5 (the second losers' bracket contest), pitting Manchester vs. the winner of Game 4 between Anderson and Rose-Hulman, which was scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
At stake in the tournament is the HCAC's automatic bid to next week's NCAA Division III playoffs.
After the host Spartans (27-14) scored three times in the seventh inning to go up 6-4, the Grizzlies answered with four runs in the eighth. Sophomore catcher Jesse Wilson singled in a run, senior shortstop Travis Lee provided the tying and go-ahead runs with a double to right field. FC capped the comeback by scoring from third base on an error.
Senior first baseman Jordan Smuts brought in an insurance run for Franklin in the ninth with a sacrifice fly RBI.
Manchester led 3-0 after three full innings before FC senior third baseman Alex Boone slammed a two-run home run in the fourth. The Grizzlies added their third run in the fifth inning on a RBI base hit by Lee and scored once in the seventh on a run-scoring single by sophomore designated hitter Nick Stoia.
Senior pitcher Nate Bryant relieved starter Cody Nees in the seventh inning and earned the win, improving to 5-2. Manchester relief pitcher Bryce Murphy, a sophomore, took the loss, dropping to 9-2.
Manchester totaled 16 hits to Franklin's 14, but committed three errors.
In the seven previous times Franklin has played in the HCAC Tournament since the league limited the field to four teams in 2001, the Grizzlies were never able to win their first two tourney contests (staying in the winners' bracket) to advance to the provisional championship game.