The Lakeview Sailors will venture away from home to challenge the Franklin Knights at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Lakeview's pitching crew has only allowed 1.1 runs per game this season, so Franklin's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
While Lakeview's victory against Cochranton wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Sailors never let the Cardinals get on the board and left with a 2-0 win on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Sailors have posted since May 23, 2024.
Not much got past Maddox Bell, who gave up just two hits and racked up 11 Ks to keep Cochranton off the board. Bell has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jonny Husband, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, while it was Franklin who put the first runs on the board on Wednesday, it was Sharon who put up more. The Knights lost 10-1 to the Tigers. The Knights haven't had much luck with the Tigers recently, as the team has come up short the last six times they've met.
Drew Kockler and Ian Higley did some serious damage despite the final result: Kockler went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI, while Higley went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Lakeview is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Franklin, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-8.
Franklin's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lakeview has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .432. It's a different story for Franklin, though, as they've only averaged .364. Will they be able to contain Lakeview's hitters?
Lakeview couldn't quite get it done against Franklin when the teams last played back in May of 2018 as they fell 5-1. Can the Sailors avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
