Grove City extended their losing streak to six on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 2-8 in the process. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-4 heartbreaker at the hands of the Franklin Knights. The Eagles were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Knights apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in May of 2024.
Grove City got a good showing from Max Nardulli, who pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Nardulli has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Grove City saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was John Podleyon, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI. Easton Snow was another, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
As for Franklin, they moved to 5-5 with that victory, which also ended their five-game losing streak. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win they have posted against Grove City since April 17, 2021.
On Franklin's side, Nate Fezell made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Those six strikeouts gave Fezell a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. That double was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Drew Kockler was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base. He is becoming a predictor of Franklin's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-5 when he doesn't). Nolan Parry also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Coming up, Grove City is taking a road trip to face off against Oil City at 4:00 p.m. on the 25th. The Eagles are facing the Oilers at the right time seeing as the Oilers are stuck on a seven-game losing streak. Franklin has already played their next matchup (against Maplewood), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
