Franklin and Grove City are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2017, but likely not for long. The Knights will head out on the road to face off against the Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Franklin has three straight wins, Grove City has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Wednesday, Franklin was able to grind out a solid victory over Hickory, taking the game 9-6.
Evan Turner
| 05/07/25 vs Hickory | 2 |
| 04/28/25 @ Titusville | 1 |
| 04/24/25 @ Slippery Rock | 1 |
| 04/09/25 vs Rocky Grove | 1 |
| 03/19/25 @ Seneca | 1 |
Evan Turner made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Drew Kockler, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ian Higley, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Franklin always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Grove City came up short against Titusville on Friday, falling 8-1.
Grove City saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Layne Rider, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Grove City's defeat dropped their record down to 3-13. As for Franklin, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
Grove City's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Franklin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Grove City, though, as they've been averaging only 3.9 strikeouts. Will Franklin keep running through batters, or will the Eagles buck the trend?
Franklin skirted past Grove City 5-4 when the teams last played back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
