Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Spalding University softball team split their doubleheader against Franklin College Wednesday night to move to 10-11 (3-3 SLIAC) on the season.

Spalding 15 – Franklin 1
The Lady Eagles won the first game in dominating fashion, winning the game 15-1 through five innings on the "eight after five" run rule.
 
After a scoreless first inning, the Grizzlies got on the scoreboard first when Jessica Thom singled to left center, scoring Jasmine Hannah from second base. However, SU responded with a seven run bottom half of the inning. With two outs and no one on base, Kelci Flener ripped a double to right field, and came home on a Becca Mouser single to center field. After advancing to second on an error, Mouser crossed the plate on a Katy Flanagan single, and after moving to second on the throw, Flanagan scored on a Callie Howard RBI single. Alyssa McAfee then reached on a walk, and senior Hannah Stucker drilled a three-run bomb over the center field fence. Kelsey McDowell capped off the inning with an RBI single through the left side scoring Peyton French from third to give SU the 7-1 lead.  

After a scoreless top of the third by Franklin, Spalding added a run to make the score 8-1 on a Flanagan sacrifice groundout that brought in Mouser from third.

SU added seven more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Stucker reached second on a leadoff double through the left side, and came home on a Peyton French RBI double to left center. Paige French reached on a hit-by-pitch and Kelci Flener reached on a walk to load the bases with one out. Moser ripped a three-run triple to right center to make the score 12-1 Spalding. Flanagan followed with a fielder's choice where Mouser was thrown out at home on the play, and Flanagan crossed the dish on a Callie Howard triple. Alyssa McAfee drove in Howard with a single up the middle and scored the final run of the game on a Peyton French single to center field.

Franklin put runners on first in second in the top of the fifth, but Jasmine Hannah fouled out to first base ending the game.

Kelci Flener (4-7) earned her fourth win of the season, throwing 5.0 innings, allowing one run on seven hits, while striking out two hitters and walking three.

Spalding had five players finish the game with two or more RBI (Stucker, Pe. French, Mouser, Flanagan, Howard). Hannah Stucker and Becca Mouser led the way with three RBI each. Stucker went 3-for-4 with a homerun, while Mouser went 2-for-3 with a triple.

Spalding 2 – Franklin 13
Spalding lost the second game on a forfeit, due to electrical difficulties that caused the field lights to turn off multiple times throughout the game. The Lady Eagles were trailing 13-2 through 4.5 innings at the time of the forfeit.
 
SU's bats looked to stay hot in the night cap. After a McAfee leadoff fly out, Hannah Stucker tripled to the nine-hole, and came home on a Peyton French bunt. However, back-to-back outs by Paige French and Kelsey McDowell retired the inning.

This time it was the Grizzlies who got hot, scoring five runs in the top of the second. Jasmine Hannah drove in Franklin's first two runs of the game with a single up the middle that scored Baylea Suiters and Cherish Selburg. Two batters later, Hannah came home for FC's third run of the inning on a Megan Lalioff single up the middle, and Lalioff crossed the plate when McKensie Vanosdol reached on a McDowell error, following a Jessica Ayers single. Ayers score Franklin's final run of the inning when Katie Struewing ripped a double to left
field.

Spalding answered with a run in the bottom of the second, to cut the deficit to three runs at 5-2. Becca Mouser reached on a hit-by-pitch to leadoff of the inning and advanced to second on a Callie Howard single to center field.  Mouser then came home on a Brooke Conder single to left field.

Franklin went on to add eight more runs before the game would be called due to darkness. The Grizzlies scored five runs in the top of the fourth inning. A Baylea Suiters two run double that scored Struewing and Vanosdol highlighted the inning. Franklin added three runs in the fifth, capped off by a Suiters RBI single that drove in Blevins for the final run of the game.

The Golden Eagles will be back in action Saturday, April 5 when they take on Principia College at 4:00 p.m. EST in Elsah, Ill.