FRANKLIN, Ind. - The Bluffton University softball team battled Franklin College in a pair of seven-inning games on Saturday, April 27, but the HCAC-leading Grizzlies came away with a sweep. Bluffton fell to 6-30 overall and 0-14 in the Heartland Conference, while the home team stayed perfect at 14-0 in the HCAC. Franklin improved to 25-9 on the season.

Hayley Lewis (Kettering/Fairmont) followed a Mia McCartney (North Baltimore) two-bagger with an RBI single to left field, knotting the score at 1-1 in the third inning. Franklin responded with two in the home half and one more in the fourth en route to a slim 4-1 victory over the Beavers. The Grizzlies finished with just two more hits (10-8) than Bluffton in game one.

Lewis gave Bluffton all she had, allowing just four runs on 10 hits in a complete-game effort on the rubber. The icing on the cake was a 3-of-4 game at the plate with an RBI.

McCartney doubled in Ashley Kloeker (Troy) and Emily Hope (Enon/Greenon) plated Taryn Hampton (Fostoria/Hopewell Louden) with a base knock in the top of the sixth, but it was too little, too late, as the Grizzlies stayed perfect in the conference with a 7-2 victory.

Senior Katie Fleshman (Delaware/Rutherford B Hayes) slipped to 2-14 after surrendering seven runs on eight hits with seven walks in 4.2 innings of work. Freshman Madelynn Vickers (Oakwood/Kettering) tossed 1.1 shutout frames to close it out.

Bluffton will be back on its home turf tomorrow for a pair of Heartland Conference clashes with Anderson University. Game one on Sunday, April 28, is slated for 1 p.m.

-BEAVERS-