Franklin Regional hasn't had much luck against Plum recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Franklin Regional comes in on three and Plum on five.
Franklin Regional's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Armstrong as they made off with a 6-0 victory. Considering the Panthers have won five games by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
The result came thanks to Jonah Willochel's shutout, as he gave up just four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, NJ Ramchandran was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Chase Lemke was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Wednesday Plum sidestepped Kiski Area for a 7-6 win.
Plum also got a great performance from Braden Kemmerer as he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits.
On the hitting side, Plum saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jake Dombkowski, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Those three hits gave Dombkowski a new career-high. Another was Enzo Mele, who got on base in both of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
Plum's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-2. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Franklin Regional, their victory bumped their record up to 10-3.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Franklin Regional hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .342. However, it's not like Plum struggles in that department as they've averaged .351. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Franklin Regional came up short against Plum in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 12-7. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
