Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Franklin, Ind. – The Transylvania baseball team endured a doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Franklin College Grizzlies on Wednesday at McDowell Field.

In an afternoon dictated by weather conditions, the Pioneers fell 19-2 in six innings in the afternoon opener before suffering a 7-5 walk-off defeat in a shortened second game.

An approximate two-hour lightning delay beginning with the conclusion of the sixth inning of game one until the start of the second game led to a condensed second game. With light dimming, Franklin's Ryan Bixler smacked a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to lift the Grizzlies to a 7-5 win over Transy.

Transy dropped to 12-6 in conference play while Franklin improved to 11-5.

Behind heavy hitting in game one, the Grizzlies built a double-digit lead to cruise to victory over Transylvania. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, flashes of lightning began to pierce nearby and the game was halted. As the delay lingered, the game was called with the victory going to the Grizzlies.

The Pioneer offense woke up in game two as Michael Blair scored Trent Youngblood on an infield RBI to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Grizzlies responded with five runs in the bottom of the inning for a 5-1 advantage.

Transylvania inched closer with an RBI double from Hudson Chastain in the third inning as the deficit was sliced to 5-2 before the Pioneers evened up the score in the fifth.

Riley Willbur spurred a comeback in the top of the fifth inning on a one-out double and Chastain was hit by a pitch. With two away, Wade Lopiccolo drew a walk to load the bases. Nick Wade provided heroics with a single to centerfield to score all three runners and tie up the game at 5-5. The Grizzlies held the Pioneers at bay and found the final out of the fifth inning.

Franklin put one runner aboard in the bottom of the fifth with a lead-off single, and though the Pioneers retired two, Bixler delivered a two-run homer to take back the lead for the home team. The Pioneers registered the final out of the inning and gameplay was halted due to darkness.

The Pioneers registered six hits in game two with six different players tallying a hit apiece. Willbur, Chastain, and Devyn Wilson-Cowan each scored a double.

The Pioneers are scheduled to play next on Saturday, April 10 against the Bluffton University Beavers at Legends Ballpark in Lexington. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

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