Sophomores Danny Schubert (Lebanon, IL/Lebanon) and Tyler Nance (Celebration, FL/Celebration) and freshman Chris Sides (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg) paced the Wabash squad in the win, each gathering four hits in the contest. Sides crushed two doubles and a triple in the contest, while Schubert and Nance each had a double. Schubert and Sides each finished with three RBIs to lead the Little Giants, as well.
Wabash opened with a run in the first inning on a bases-loaded walk to Schubert. The Little Giants added two more runs in the fourth after the first two batters reached second and third on two consecutive errors by the Grizzlies. Starting pitcher Jake Martin (Rushville, IN/Rushville) (photo) smacked a two-run double past the first base bag to give Wabash a 3-0 lead. Franklin carved into that lead, however, by answering with two runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth.
Junior Mike Mack (Butler, IN/Eastside) drew a one-out walk in the fifth, stole second, then came around to score on an RBI single by sides to stretch the lead back to two runs. Then the Little Giants exploded for four runs in the sixth.
Martin opened the inning with a walk, then went to second on a base hit by Bill Goff (Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg). A fielders choice put runners at the corners for Schubert, who ripped a single into left center field to score Martin. After a strikeout it was Sides’ turn to add another run to the scoreboard for Wabash. The rookie crushed a ball into the right center field corner, hitting the wall at the 408-foot mark for a two-run triple. Freshman catcher Justin VanderIest (Hudsonville, MI/Hudsonville) added a two-out base hit to score Sides, making it a 8-2 contest.
Schubert added an insurance run in the seventh with an RBI double down the left field line to score Martin. The final Wabash run came in the eighth inning after Sides opened the frame with a double and came around to score on a bases-loaded double-play ground ball. Franklin added two runs in the eighth inning before going down in order in the ninth.
Martin pitched 7-2/3 innings to earn his fifth win of the season. He gave up four runs on eight hits, struck out seven and walked only one batter. Sophomore Judd Crowgey (Salem, OH/Salem) pitched one-third of an inning, giving way to senior reliever Marc Rowe (West Point, IN/McCutcheon) in the ninth to seal the victory.
Wabash ended its two-game losing streak at Victory Field with Tuesday night’s win. Franklin won the 2001 meeting between the two schools with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning that year to take a 5-4 victory. Last year’s game went to 10 innings before the Grizzlies could come away with an 11-8 win. This year’s win by Wabash gives the Little Giants a 12-9 advantage in the overall series and a split in the two games between the schools this year. Franklin took a 7-1 victory at Mud Hollow Field earlier this month.
Wabash moves back to .500 with victory with an overall record of 18-18. The Little Giants will conclude the regular season this weekend at home against North Coast Athletic Conference Western Division and in-state rival Earlham College. Saturday’s doubleheader begins at noon.