Baseball Preview: Roncalli Royals vs. Franklin Central Flashes
Roncalli is 8-2 against Franklin Central since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Roncalli Royals will head out on the road to challenge the Franklin Central Flashes at 6:00 p.m. Roncalli is looking to tack on another W to their four-game streak on the road.
Roncalli will head into Tuesday's matchup on the come-up: they were handed a two-run defeat in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against Brownsburg on Tuesday. Roncalli put the hurt on Brownsburg with a sharp 9-2 victory.
Collin Ash made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched four innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. Ash has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Ash was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with a stolen base, two RBI, and a double.
In other pitching news, Daylan Powers looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, Sam Roeder was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Will Manship, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Franklin Central narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Brownsburg 5-4.
Like Roncalli, Franklin Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Nate Schwark. He pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Schwark was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base, two RBI, and a double.
In other pitching news, Jake Hotovec looked comfortable as he struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off one hit.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Anthony Santellana, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Roncalli has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. As for Franklin Central, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-10.
Franklin Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Roncalli has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .453. It's a different story for Franklin Central, though, as they've only averaged .360. Will they be able to contain Roncalli's hitters?
Roncalli might still be hurting after the 12-2 loss they got from Franklin Central in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Can Roncalli avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
