Hickory and Franklin are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Hornets will be playing in front of their home fans against the Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Hickory has given up an average of 7.4 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Last Friday, Hickory came up short against Hubbard and fell 12-8.
Jaxon Hicks was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over 4.2 innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
Bryson Applegarth
| 03/29/25 vs Sharpsville | 4 |
| 04/11/25 vs Hubbard | 3 |
| 04/03/25 @ Grove City | 3 |
| 03/28/25 vs Wilmington | 1 |
On the hitting side, Bryson Applegarth and Ryan Distler did some serious damage despite the final result: Applegarth got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base, while Distler scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Applegarth is becoming a predictor of Hickory's success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is 2-1 (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Ty Turosky, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Franklin was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They came up short against Titusville, falling 19-3.
Hickory now has a losing record of 3-4. As for Franklin, their loss dropped their record down to 4-4.
Everything went Hickory's way against Franklin in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Hickory made off with a 12-2 victory. Will the Hornets repeat their success, or do the Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
