Franklin is 1-9 against Pebble Hills since March of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Cougars will be playing in front of their home fans against the Spartans at 6:30 p.m. Franklin has given up an average of 7.7 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Franklin is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Thursday. They lost 13-4 to Eastlake. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Franklin saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was DANTE CORRAL, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last match, Pebble Hills made sure to put some runs up on the board against Montwood last Saturday. The Spartans came out on top in a nail-biter against the Rams, sneaking past 13-11. The game was the first time the Spartans have beaten the Rams on their field since March 28, 2023.
Mateo Contreras tossed a big game, pitching 5.2 innings while giving up four earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.
On the hitting side, Cristian Bustillos and Evan Lopez did most of the damage at the plate: Bustillos went 2-for-4 with one home run and four RBI, while Lopez got on base in all five of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. Those two stolen bases gave Lopez a new career-high. Jaden Gutierrez was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Pebble Hills always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .537. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Pebble Hills is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-12 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.9 runs over those games. As for Franklin, their loss dropped their record down to 7-20-1.
Franklin might still be hurting after the 11-2 defeat they got from Pebble Hills in their previous meeting on April 4th. Will the Cougars have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
