The Franklin County Wildcats will head out to square off against the Hagerstown Tigers at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Franklin County will be strutting in after a victory while Hagerstown will be coming in after a defeat.
Franklin County lost a heartbreaker the last time they played South Dearborn, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's match. The Wildcats were the clear victors by a 12-1 margin over the Knights on Wednesday. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by ten runs or more this season.
Brooke Stang was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Annie Hoff was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.
Franklin County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .556. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .324 or higher in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hagerstown fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Roncalli on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Royals by a score of 6-5. The contest marked the Tigers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Rylan Young was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 8.2 innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with one home run. That home run was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Allison Stinson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Mackenzie Johnson, who went 2-for-5 with two runs and one stolen base.
Franklin County is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.5 runs over those games. Having lost for the first time this season, Hagerstown fell to 6-1.
Both Franklin County and Hagerstown just can't seem to miss. The Wildcats have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 13.1 hits per game. However, it's not like Hagerstown struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.1 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Franklin County was able to grind out a solid victory over Hagerstown in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, winning 9-4. 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.
