Franklin Regional is a perfect 3-0 against Connellsville since March of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Panthers will face off against the Falcons at 4:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Franklin Regional 3.5, Connellsville 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Franklin Regional barely beat Kiski Area the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Panthers never let the Cavaliers get on the board and left with a 9-0 win on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won three matches by nine runs or more so far this season.
Franklin Regional got a great performance from James Templeton as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave Templeton a new career-high.
Chase Lemke
| 04/02/25 @ Kiski Area | 2 |
| 03/21/25 @ Fox Chapel | 1 |
| 03/16/25 vs Charlotte Country Day School | 1 |
| 05/02/24 @ Uniontown | 1 |
| 04/15/24 @ Fox Chapel | 1 |
On the hitting side, Chase Lemke and NJ Ramchandran did most of the damage at the plate: Lemke went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Ramchandran scored three runs while going 3-for-3. Those two RBI gave Lemke a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Trey Muhitch, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Franklin Regional hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kiski Area struck out seven times.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Connellsville ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Montour, sneaking past 3-2. The victory was nothing new for the Falcons as they're now sitting on five straight.
Mason Miller tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Grayden Gillott was excellent, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with two RBI. Jonathan Kelly also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen bases of the season.
Connellsville's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average this season. As for Franklin Regional, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 7-1.
Franklin Regional came out on top in a nail-biter against Connellsville in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
