BAINBRIDGE – It was such a lopsided loss, that even the Quakers had to laugh.

The Bainbridge fastpitch softball team gave Franklin a rocky reception on the Rock earlier this week, drubbing their Metro counterparts 17-0 in a game shortened to five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.

The Spartans piled on four runs in the first, and four more in the second, to take an 8-0 lead after two innings.

The Quakers struggled mightily with their pitching, loading up the bases on multiple occasions and making several unfortunate fielding errors that further inflamed the one-sided contest.

And when Bainbridge apparently tried to bunt its way into escaping the third and fourth innings on outs, Franklin just couldn’t capitalize on the let’s-get-this-over-with help from the Spartans. A throw to first base with no one there to cover, or a throw over the head of the first baseman; it was that kind of face-palming pox on the visitors from Seattle.

Gentle as they might try to go, the Spartans put another eight runs on the scoreboard to lead 16-0 at the end of three innings.

The Franklin girls took the shellacking with good grace and humor, though.

When one Quaker saw the shirt that Spartan Assistant Coach Nicole Hebner was wearing as she coached first base — with the phrase “Refuse to Lose” emblazoned on the back from last year’s state tournament run — she wisecracked from the dugout: “Refuse to lose? We need shirts that say ‘Refuse to win’!”

“We should be a comedy act!” another laughed.

Megan Spray and Emma Lindsay led the Spartan offense. Spray went 1-for-1 with a double and three RBIs. Lindsay went 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs.

BHS’s Alison Reichert pitched three innings and had six strikeouts.