The Franklin Monroe Jets are taking a road trip to take on the Tri-County North Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Franklin Monroe's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. They blew past Fairlawn 16-0. The victory continues a trend for Franklin Monroe in their matchups with Fairlawn: they've now won six in a row.
Kiera Fenstermaker was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (two). She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kelci Stidham was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four stolen bases and two runs. Those four stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Faith Wintrow also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Franklin Monroe was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fairlawn only posted a batting average of .270.
Newton Local typically has all the answers at home, but on Saturday Tri-County North proved too difficult a challenge. They walked away with a 6-3 win over the Indians.
Like Franklin Monroe, Tri-County North also got a great game from a two-way player: Lola Grieshop. She pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Grieshop has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Tri-County North got a big performance out of Kiley Adkins, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Bella Cherry, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and two doubles.
Franklin Monroe's record is now 3-17. As for Tri-County North, their record now sits at 12-7.
Monday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Franklin Monroe has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .446. However, it's not like Tri-County North struggles in that department as they've averaged .453. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Franklin Monroe might still be hurting after the 21-0 loss they got from Tri-County North when the teams last played back in April of 2025. Can the Jets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
