The Titusville Rockets will face off against the Franklin Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Titusville has eight straight victories, Franklin has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
While Titusville's win against Grove City wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Rockets had just enough and edged out the Eagles 12-11. While the Rockets didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Kameron Mong was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Mong was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ian McDonald, who scored three runs while going 2-for-4.
Titusville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Grove City only posted a batting average of .241.
Meanwhile, Franklin came up short against Rocky Grove on Wednesday and fell 10-7.
Evan Turner made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Brandt McAfoose, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Franklin's loss dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Titusville, their victory was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Titusville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Franklin struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Titusville's way against Franklin in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Titusville made off with a 10-0 win. Will the Rockets repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
