Baseball Game Preview: Franklin Panthers vs. Pisgah Bears

The Franklin Panthers will head out to face off against the Pisgah Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Franklin has given up an average of 6.6 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Franklin fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Brevard on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Blue Devils by a score of 11-9. The defeat continues a trend for the Panthers in their meetings with the Blue Devils: they've now lost six in a row.

Paxton Sutton made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Brock Bradley, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Pisgah hadn't done well against North Henderson recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Bears' pitcher stepped up to hand the Knights a 4-0 shutout. The victory was nothing new for the Bears as they're now sitting on four straight.

The result came thanks to Zack Wester's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up 17 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

Pisgah's win bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Franklin, their loss dropped their record down to 6-3.

Franklin suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Pisgah when the teams last played back in March of 2025. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.