Softball Recap: Hickory Has No Trouble Against Franklin

Hickory won the last time they faced Franklin and things went their way on Monday too. The Hornets put the hurt on the Knights with a sharp 11-1 victory.

AJ Jarzab

Hits (Career)

05/12/25 @ Franklin	3
05/07/25 vs Ellwood City	2
04/22/25 vs Grove City	2
04/15/25 vs Franklin	2
05/01/25 vs Slippery Rock	1

AJ Jarzab made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in ten consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and one double. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, Hickory let Emma Johnston and Layla McClung run wild. Johnston got on base in two of her four plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs, while McClung went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those three runs gave Johnston a new career-high.

Hickory hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Franklin struck out 12 times.

Hickory is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Franklin, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-13.

Hickory has already played their next matchup, a 1-0 victory against Grove City on the 13th. As for Franklin, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next contest, a 17-7 win against Warren on the 16th.