For the first time this season, Franklin will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will challenge the Eagle Rock Eagles at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Thursday just wasn't the day for Franklin's offense. They came up short against Flintridge Prep on Thursday, falling 6-0.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Eagle Rock). They never let Contreras get on the board and left with a 20-0 win two weeks ago. Considering the Eagles have won six matchups by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Jake Sugi made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February of 2025. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Eagle Rock: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-5 otherwise.
In other pitching news, Orion Natrop looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in four consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Beckett Walker was incredible, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Grayson Sugi, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with four runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Eagle Rock always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .641. They are 4-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Eagle Rock is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Franklin, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Franklin was able to grind out a solid win over Eagle Rock in their previous matchup back in April of 2025, winning 9-4. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
