FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Grizzlies scored two runs in each of the first three innings and landed a knock-out punch with five runs in the sixth in their 11-7 baseball victory over Wisconsin-Platteville at John P. McDowell Memorial Field
this afternoon.
Franklin College's triumph completed a three-game series sweep of the Pioneers, improving the Grizzlies' overall record to 11-2 this season. UW-Platteville fell to 1-7.
FC junior shortstop Nick Stoia had three of the Grizzlies' total of 15 hits and gave his team a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run home run.
Junior Zach Osowski, who started in left field, had two hits and drove in three runs. Osowski slammed a two-run homer in the sixth. Junior first baseman Jake Houston contributed a two-run double in the same inning.
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Chris Hoopingarner worked the first six innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs while striking out four batters, improving to 3-0.
On Saturday, the Grizzlies entered their doubleheader with UWP on a roll and stayed that way, sweeping the Pioneers 7-2 and 8-3.
In the opening contest, senior pitcher Nathan Ellis hurled all seven innings and ran his record to 4-0. The veteran right-hander scattered eight hits, walked just one batter, chalked up 10 strikeouts and kept UW-Platteville off the scoreboard until the top of the seventh.
Sophomore pinch-hitter Rickey DuBois drove in two runs with a single in the sixth. Senior right fielder Jarrett Johnson and sophomore center fielder Scott Windler had two hits each.
Franklin, which took a 4-0 lead in its first at bat, collected 10 hits in all.
In the second game, Stoia socked a two-run home run in the seventh inning and Houston brought in two runs with a single earlier in the third to account for four of FC's six RBIs. Osowski drove in a run with base hit in the third and Windler had a RBI single in the seventh.
Stoia, Osowski and junior catcher Jesse Wilson had two hits each. The Grizzlies totaled nine hits to the Pioneers' four.
Senior right-handed pitcher Shawn Mattingly, who gave up four hits and an unearned run and struck out seven batters in seven innings of work, improved to 2-1.