NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. – They finally kicked down the door!

After more than a decade of conference tournament frustration, Franklin College blanked No. 1 seed and host Manchester College 9-0 to secure its first Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball championship tournament trophy at Gratz Field today.

With the victory, the Grizzlies (29-12) completed a 3-0 sweep of their tourney contests and earned the HCAC's automatic berth in next week's NCAA Division III playoffs.

They also achieved their first title and subsequent NCAA opportunity by winning against their biggest league tourney nemesis. The Spartans had previously eliminated Franklin in the conference tournament in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2010.

Freshman outfielder Scott Windler slammed a pair of solo home runs and senior infielders Jordan Smuts and Alex Boone also contributed solo shots to highlight FC's offensive attack. Second-seeded Franklin, which jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, totaled 17 hits.

Both Windler and Smuts were included on the HCAC All-Tournament Team along with sophomore designated hitter Nick Stoia and junior pitcher Shawn Mattingly.

Mattingly, who scattered six hits and went the distance to improve to 7-3, was named the HCAC Tournament MVP.

The bracket for the 2011 NCAA Division III regionals, scheduled to be played May 18-22, will be announced on Monday.