Softball Game Preview: Franklin Wildcats vs. Talawanda Brave

The Franklin Wildcats will head out on the road to square off against the Talawanda Brave at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

While Franklin's win against Monroe wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Wildcats won by a run and slipped past the Hornets 7-6. The Wildcats haven't had any issues with the Hornets recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive victory against them.

Meanwhile, Talawanda came tearing into Wednesday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Knights as they made off with a 13-0 win. That looming 13-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Brave yet this season.

Northwest's batters probably weren't too happy with Quinn Frieden, who pitched a no hitter and racked up seven Ks (she gave up zero walks).

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brooklyn Porchowsky, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two triples, four RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Grace Richardson, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.

Talawanda always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.

Talawanda pushed their record up to 8-3 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Franklin, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.

Everything went Franklin's way against Talawanda in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Franklin made off with an 11-4 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.