Baseball Preview: Franklin Central Flashes vs. Perry Meridian Falcons
The Franklin Central Flashes will be playing at home against the Perry Meridian Falcons at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The last three games Franklin Central has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Franklin Central will bounce into Saturday's game after beating Roncalli, who they hadn't topped in nine consecutive meetings. Franklin Central narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Roncalli 2-1. That's two games straight that Franklin Central has won by just one run.
Weston Harvey spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered one run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Franklin Central's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Brian Lockhart, who went 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Perry Meridian entered their tilt with Pike with four consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with five. Everything went their way against the Red Devils on Friday as they made off with a 13-3 win.
Perry Meridian also got a great performance from Jayden Simpson as he tossed five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits.
At the plate, Aiden Kerr and Jackson Lamkin did most of the damage at the plate: Kerr went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI, while Lamkin scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Carson Woods, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Franklin Central has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-10 record this season. As for Perry Meridian, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Franklin Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Perry Meridian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Franklin Central's way against Perry Meridian in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 as Franklin Central made off with a 7-0 win. Does Franklin Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will Perry Meridian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
