Franklin's hitters rose to the challenge against a Bulldogs pitching crew that boasted an average of only 3.43 runs allowed on Wednesday. The Franklin Panthers came out on top against the Murphy Bulldogs by a score of 13-9. The victory was familiar territory for Franklin who now have three in a row.
Laura Holland was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Delaney Stiles was another key contributor, going 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs, and two RBI.
On Murphy's side, Paisley Johnson put in work while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up four earned (and nine unearned) runs off ten hits. Johnson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in eight consecutive pitching appearances. Johnson was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-3 with a home run, two doubles, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Emma Hensley was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Julia Dockery, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, a stolen base, and a double.
Franklin's win was their 20th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-2. As for Murphy, their loss ended a 14-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 12-2.
Franklin will head out on the road to face off against Smoky Mountain at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Franklin is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.1 runs per game this season. As for Murphy, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Swain County at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Murphy: 3.4, Swain County: 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
