Franklin hasn't had much luck against Southampton recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Broncos will be playing in front of their home fans against the Indians at 4:30 p.m. Franklin has given up an average of 15.3 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Franklin lost 22-2 to Surry County on Thursday. That's two games in a row now that the Broncos have lost by exactly 20 runs.
Ja'Najh Frazier
| 04/03/25 @ Surry County | 1 |
| 03/31/25 @ King's Fork | 3 |
| 03/28/25 vs Northampton | 7 |
Ja'Najh Frazier made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played.
Meanwhile, Southampton had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Cougars a 19-0 shutout. With that win, the Indians brought their scoring average up to 9 runs per game.
Anne Jackson Pope made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
In other batting news, Isabelle Melbye was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Paisley Benson, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Southampton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .647. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Southampton pushed their record up to 3-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Franklin, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-5-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Franklin has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 12 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Southampton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Franklin suffered a grim 24-0 defeat to Southampton when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Broncos avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
