Baseball Game Preview: Franklin Wildcats vs. Oakwood Lumberjacks

The Franklin Wildcats will square off against the Oakwood Lumberjacks at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Neither of those teams managed to put together many runs in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.

The scorekeeper got an easy start on Friday as neither Franklin nor Ross made it on the board until the sixth inning. The Wildcats fell just short of the Rams by a score of 2-1. The loss continues a trend for the Wildcats in their meetings with the Rams: they've now lost six in a row.

Luke Eyink spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up eight Ks.

Meanwhile, Oakwood suffered their closest defeat since May 21, 2024 on Thursday. They fell just short of Chaminade Julienne Catholic by a score of 3-1. The match marked the Lumberjacks' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Franklin now has a losing record of 10-11. As for Oakwood, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 13-4-1.

Franklin's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's game. The Wildcats have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Oakwood, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Franklin continue to outrun the ball?

Franklin came out on top in a nail-biter against Oakwood in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, sneaking past 7-6. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Lumberjacks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.