The Franklin Central Flashes will take on the Roncalli Royals at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Franklin Central has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with five straight losses, while Roncalli will come in with nine straight wins.
Franklin Central fell victim to Avon and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They lost 13-0 to the Orioles. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Flashes have suffered against the Orioles since April 12, 2023.
Meanwhile, Roncalli never let their opponents score on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory with a sharp 13-0 victory. The Royals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by ten runs or more this season.
Collin Ash made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
In other batting news, Rudy Schoettle was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, four runs, and two RBI. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Gio Ardizone, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Roncalli was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory only posted a batting average of .091.
Roncalli pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Franklin Central, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.
Franklin Central beat Roncalli 6-2 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Do the Flashes have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Royals turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
