Grizzlies Knock Ravens Out of HCAC Tournament

The third-seeded Anderson University softball team fell to the fifth-seeded Franklin College Grizzlies on Friday in the elimination round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament in Lexington, Ky.

Anderson (14-21) fell short to the Grizzlies (21-14) by a final score of 10-6.

The Ravens took the early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Starting off the bottom of the first, Jayden Brown singled into center field. With two outs, Kyleigh Lowry stepped up to bat, doubling down the left field line and sending Brown to third. Brown then scored for the Ravens when Ashley Wheeler reached first on a fielding error. Ravens led 1-0.

The lead wouldn't last long for the Ravens as the Grizzlies brought in two in top of the second, taking a 2-1 lead, which held through the third.

The Grizzlies built onto their lead in the top of the fourth with a three-run inning on five hits. Franklin went on to add one more run in the fifth. The Grizzlies led 6-1 over the Ravens as Anderson was searching for their first hit since the bottom of the first inning.

In the circle for the Ravens in the sixth, Aimee Cook had a 1-2-3 inning against the Grizzlies. In the bottom of the sixth, Brown singled for the Ravens to start the hitting. Ally Hall followed with a single, Brown advanced to second. Chloe Closser loaded the bases with a single down the left side. A triple by Lowry sent home Brown, Hall, and Closser, making it a 6-4 ball game in favor of the Grizzlies.

A four-run inning in the top of the seventh gave the Grizzlies their 10 runs on the day. The Ravens would give it their all in the bottom of the seventh. Faith Muterspaugh reached first on a walk, with Brianna Bell coming in to pinch run. A single by Taylor Johnson sent Bell to second. Brown then sac bunted for the Ravens, advancing Bell to third and Johnson to second. Hall brought in Johnson and Bell with a single to right center field. The Ravens closed out the game giving it their all, but ultimately fell short to the Grizzlies by four runs.

"I felt like we were a different team at the end of this tournament than we were most of the season," Coach Tony Holloway said. "I liked the fight and grit we had when we were down, but it just wasn't enough."

Anderson was led by a conspiracy of Ravens on Friday. Kyleigh Lowry went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, all while recording a double and a triple. Ally Hall finished 2-for-4 with one run and two RBIs. Jayden Brown went 2-for-3 with two runs, Chloe Closser went 1-for-4 with one run, and Taylor Johnson finished the day 1-for-3 with one run.

The Anderson Ravens softball team ended their 2021 season with a 14-21 record, going 9-7 in the conference. The Ravens ended with a total of 142 runs, a .277 batting average, a .329 on base percentage, a .375 slugging percentage and a total of seven home runs. Among the HCAC statistics, Jayden Brown ranked third in stolen bases with 13, Ally Hall followed in fourth with 11. On the pitching end, Lexi Rankin is in a three-way tie with three saves for first place.

Stay up-to-date on all things Anderson Softball as the Ravens look forward to being back in action during the 2022 season!