The Franklin Panthers will square off against the Murphy Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Franklin is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering North Buncombe just ended the team's four-game winning streak dating back to last season on Friday. They fell just short of the Black Hawks by a score of 5-4.
Caden Mason was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed 6.2 innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits.
On the hitting side, Franklin saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Anderson Terrell, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Murphy had to hit the road for their first game and it wasn't the result they were hoping for. They fell just short of Franklin by a score of 17-16 on Wednesday. The Bulldogs have struggled against the Panthers recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Alex Roldan and Cameron Clem did some serious damage despite the final result: Roldan scored two runs while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances, while Clem scored three runs while getting on base in five of his seven plate appearances. What's more, Clem posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Aayden Williams, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Franklin came out on top in a nail-biter against Murphy when the teams last played on Wednesday, sneaking past 17-16. The rematch might be a little tougher for Franklin since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
