Baseball Recap: Franklin Central Comes Up Short

Franklin Central had lost 11 straight on the road, but on Saturday they dropped their record down to 5-19 to make it 12. They fell 6-3 to the Hamilton Southeastern Royals. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Royals this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 3-2 on Friday.

Isaac Richardson was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched.

At the plate, Nevan Tutterow was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Nate Schwark, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs.

As for Hamilton Southeastern, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 12-17. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 5 runs in those games.

On Hamilton Southeastern's side, Josh Lesniewksi tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. Lesniewksi has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jackson Bixler, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Hamilton Southeastern: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 8-16 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Maddux Bach, who earned two runs and one stolen base.

Franklin Central and Hamilton Southeastern are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. The Flashes will take on Decatur Central at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. As for Hamilton Southeastern, they will face off against Fishers at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Tigers' pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so the Royals' hitters will have their work cut out for them.