Baseball refuses to take break
By Bryan Ault, April 10, 2010
The Franklin baseball team went 6-2 over spring break, with two victories at the Rawlings Classic in Illinois and three straight wins at Robert Morris University. The Grizzlies continued their winning ways with a 10-8 win over No. 12 Rose-Hulman Tuesday to improve to 13-6 (3-1 HCAC).
“For a lot of our guys, it’s a nice break,” head coach Lance Marshall said. “They work hard in the classroom and get a break from that. They get to travel and play baseball. They’re given an opportunity to play baseball and not worry about anything else."
Junior Ian Sanders agreed.
“We all looked forward to it,” Sanders said. “Coach kept us busy and we know that we’re here to play. It was a long week, but 6-2 all on the road is very good.”
Outstanding individual efforts helped to drive the Grizzlies’ success. Sophomore Nate Ellis pitched a complete game shutout against Concordia University (15-3) on March 29. He allowed just three hits and three walks, while striking out four. He was named HCAC Pitcher of the Week as a result.
“I lost to them the week before so it was good to come back and pitch against them,” Ellis said. “We scored in the first inning, which really gave me confidence.”
“That was a fantastic outing for him,” Marshall said. “He just came out and battled. He wanted another shot at them. They saw him for 13 innings over the course of seven days. He showed them the competitor he is.”
“We’ve played a very competitive schedule,” Marshall said. “We’ve played a bunch of very good teams early. I think we’re starting to hit our stride right now.”
The Grizzlies host Manchester College (10-11, 2-2 HCAC) today at 4 p.m. and Saturday at noon. The Spartans, 1-8 on the road, are coming off back-to-back losses against Anderson University and Defiance College.
“They’ll be a good opponent,” Marshall said. “They have a high quality of history in their program. We’ve always had great rivalries with them.”
Ty Foster leads the Spartans in batting average with .375 after 80 at-bats. David Tatham, Trey Forbes, Bryce Murphey and Josh Buell all have an average above .317.
Foster and Tatham lead the team in home runs with four each and Tatham leads the team in RBIs with 20.
The Grizzly offense is led by Alex Boone, who has tallied 31 hits, 26 RBIs, five home runs and a .437 batting average.
Jordan Steiner and Jordan Klinedest follow with averages of .375 and .370, respectively.
“There’s room for improvement, but we’re happy with where things are at right now,” Sanders said. “Things are starting to come together.”
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