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Franklin softball rolls to next round in repeat D10 bid

5/24/2022

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Almost duplicating exactly what the boys baseball team did the day before, the Franklin girls got the bat on the ball solid and often cruising to a 12-2 five inning victory over Grove City.

They will face Conneaut who jump over Hickory with a big early inning to set the tone. They will play Thursday at a time and location to be determined.
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Explosive bats save arms

5/24/2022

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Franklin's ace Luke Guth was cruising along with efficiency through three innings. The junior only threw 35 pitches when Franklin head coach Brian Schmidt's decided that was enough.
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Looking at the scoreboard it became evident, Schmidt was looking at the big picture. Keeping his ace's pitch count low means he'll be fresh and able to go in the next game of the playoffs. 
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Ethan Nightingale stepped to pitch the rest of the way and despite one pitch that was sent over the fence in left center, he got the job done. The Knights bats lit up intheir first playoff game defeating North East 12-2 in five innings.
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​The Franklin will meet Hickory in the PIAA 3A semifinal matchup at 4 p.m. Thursday at Slippery Rock University.  
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The Knights (13-6)  came into the tournament as the fifth seed. They now take on the top-seeded Hornets (15-2) who beat Girard on Monday.
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The winner of Thursday’s showdown will play in the District 10 championship game on Memorial Day at a time and place to be determined.
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In 1A, Rocky Grove (15-3)  got a buy into the semis and await the Cochranton (9-7) vs. Kennedy Catholic (6-13)., winner Wednesday The time and location of the semi-final Friday have not been announced.
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See more photos by visiting: ​https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p814649742
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Franklin is top seed playing Tuesday in Meadville

5/20/2022

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District 10 Softball
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Franklin enters the District 10 softball tournament as the top seed in Class AAAA. They meet eighth seed Grove City for a 1 p.m. game Tuesday at Allegheny College.

Cochranton is the second seed in Class A. They will play third seed West Middlesex at 1 p.m. Wednesday, also at Allegheny.

The winner of the matchup will play in the championship game Monday, Memorial Day at a site and time to be determined.


Follow the complete brackets below.
https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-27645184/documents/b8c1a2ec88434074a02b7b82731e4cf2/2022softballbrackets3.pdf
storage.googleapis.com

​In District 9 action, third seed Cranberry kicks things off Monday with a 4 p.m. home game against Kane the Class AA sixth seed.

Follow District 9 brackets here:

https://www.piaad9.org/softball_brackets_2022.htm
Softball_Brackets_2022  Class A
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Playoff brackets released, Grove gets a bye, Franklin plays Monday

5/20/2022

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District 10 Baseball
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Rocky Grove enters the post season as the number two seed in the District 10 Class A playoffs giving them a bye into the semi-finals. They await the winner of the Cochranton vs. Kennedy Catholic match up slated for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Slippery Rock University

Saegertwon also has a bye on the other side of the bracket and they await the winner of the Maplewood vs. Youngsville game at 4 p.m. Wednesday also at Slippery Rock University.

​See the bracket here.
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Franklin will face Northeast Monday at Mercyhurst University at 2 p.m. Franklin comes in as fifth seed in Class AAA. On the other side of the bracket Titusville, the number two seed, plays the 11:30 a.m. game at Mercyhurst University against Mercyhurst Prep.

​Meadville plays Tuesday at 4 p.m. down in Slippery Rock University against Grove City. The Bulldogs are the fifth seed in Class AAAA

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To see all the D10 brackets follow the link below.​
​https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-27645184/documents/da4c169ef38442c0933c0e15c0d9aa80/2022baseballbrackets3.pdf
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Rocky Grove drops likely region title game to Saegertown, but...

5/17/2022

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These are two very solid baseball teams. Rocky Grove needed to win today to be region champion. They threw their top pitcher, but Saegertown got their bat on the ball and just out hit the Orioles.

The Panther win puts them in the drivers seat. They have one game left against Youngsville which they are expected to win easily.

All in all a very solid season for the Orioles only dropping two region games, one to the Cochranton Cardinals and one to what looks like the region champ Saegertown Panthers. They also defeated both those squads once this year as well. It has been a very good season for the Orioles.

​On to the post season.

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Below are more photos from Tuesday's game. Even more photos can be found by clicking here.
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Below are more photos from Tuesday's game. Even more photos can be found by clicking here.


On a personal note, it was nice to see D-Train again.

​The assistant coach was a little leaguer, perhaps 8-9 year-old all-star pitcher I photographed many times during his baseball career. I may have even taken his senior pictures.

And Scott Walters and Brad Wise as well. Folks I knew pretty well for years covering youth sports for The Meadville Tribune.

​And Bill Sherry umpired the field helping out Ken Mong who was behind the plate.
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Franklin girls finish season undefeated in the region

5/17/2022

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Unfortunately we couldn't travel out to Hermitage today to see if the Lady Knights would bounce back from their first loss of the season over the weekend.  
They did.
A 7-5 region win over Hickory. The Knights finished unbeaten in the region with one non-region game to go tomorrow at Sharpesville. Sharpesville should prove to be another good test as they prepare for the high level play they'll face in the playoffs.

Congratulations team.  You're fun to watch and I'm hoping to catch you several more times this season.

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This young but experienced team just has the right stuff

5/13/2022

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“We had a pretty successful season so far,”
- Franklin head coach Chad Hoobler
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Photos from Franklin's recent 10-1 win over Grove City. More photos can be seen by clicking this link: https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p743917692
Story by Jill Harry

​The Franklin Knights softball team is heading into the final week of the regular season with all their pre-season goals completed or within reach.

Be the champs of their region – done.

Finish the season undefeated – 16-0 with three games left.

Repeat as District 10 4A winners – currently ranked number one. 
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“We had a pretty successful season so far,” said first-year head coach Chad Hoobler. 

So successful that they have only gone the full seven innings five times.
​They have scored nearly 200 runs already while allowing their opponents only 25. 
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“We like to average double-digit runs each game because it takes the pressure off the pitcher,” Hoobler said. 

​It’s a system that seems to be helping their ace starting pitcher, junior Trinity Edge, thrive. She is ranked second among all pitchers in District 10, according to the Erie Times-News.

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​Edge is second in strikeouts (111) and first in wins (13), and has an ERA of 1.32 going into the Knights’ recent game against Grove City.

​But she isn’t Franklin’s only standout player.

“I’m blessed with nine solid ball players who work together as a team.” ​

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“It’s been a total team effort,” Hoobler said. “I’m blessed with nine solid ball players who work together as a team.” 
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Looking over all the stats available on the Erie Times-News website it’s easy to find evidence of that claim. Six of the players are listed within the top 20 rankings in different offensive categories prior to Thursday’s game. 

“I don’t remember a team that has been as dominant. This team has been sheer power at the plate,” he said.
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Junior Sydni Hoobler leads the team with 33 hits and a batting average of .635, which places her fourth in the district. Edge is eighth with 24 hits and a .571 batting average. The team’s sole senior, Brandi Atwell is 20th with 20 hits and a .500.

Hoobler is ranked top in the district for runs scored at 29. Sophomore Rilee Hanna and freshman Gabriella Laderer are tied for eighth with 22 each.

Laderer leads the team with doubles at 7 (seventh in the district), home runs with 3 (14th in the district) and RBIs with 25 (sixth in the district). 

​And freshman Abigail Boland leads the team with triples, tied for 11th with a large number of players throughout the district. 

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Hoobler is also having a standout season running the diamond. She is currently ranked at the top of the district and the state in stolen bases with 28. 

“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how hard-working of a team this is,” coach Hoobler said.
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And the work has played off.
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Thursday, the Erie Times-News ranked the Franklin Knights at the top of the 4A class standings. “With Villa Maria and Warren losing games this week, it’s time to get the Knights into the top spot with an undefeated record,” Times-News reporter Tom Reisenweber wrote. He also named Laderer among the breakout stars of the district and said the team was the “likely top seed.”
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Heading into the last three games of the regular season, one regional and two non-regional, Hoobler says the team plans to focus on improving more each day.

“We just want to take it one game at a time from here and continue getting better.” 
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Orioles avenge earlier season loss to the Cardinals

5/9/2022

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Eli Moreland shut down the visiting Cochranton Cardinals while the Rocky Grove bats got right to work in the first culminating in Isaac Clayton going yard.

Clayton got on base and touched home plate every time he batted Monday.

​The  Orioles got back at the Cardinals who were the only conference foe to defeat them this season.

Rocky Grove will be busy over the next week with four conference games and one non-conference finale before post season gets underway.

We added today photos to the album from last week's game here.
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Rocky Grove baseball continues to roll

5/6/2022

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Rocky Grove baseball team was playing like they had someplace else to go Thursday afternoon against visiting Iroquois.

And they did.

Several players play musical instruments and the school was hosting its spring concert that night.

There are also a couple dual sports players who are also on the boys volleyball team who were also playing that night. And for the volleyball team, it was senior night.

So Geoff Sanner's Orioles are firing on all cylinders.

It took them only four innings to knock off the Braves 16-1 to take their record to 13-1 in the region.

Sanner said he's looking forward to next week's game against Cochranton, who served the Orioles their only loss of the season.
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This season the Orioles seem to have all the tools, a deep rotation, solid hitting and are playin fairly error-free in the field.

See more photos at 
https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p720178104​
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Franklin softball was challenged, but international rules....

5/6/2022

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When Trinity Edge got hit in the back as she slid into third base in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Knights were looking like they were on their way to another win over the visiting Jamestown Muskies.

Edge was pitching lights out all game. Someone shouted out to her from the bench "Can you still throw?"  She responded affirmatively.

But in the top of the sixth, she wasn't quite as sharp and got herself into a bit of trouble.

​She beared down and retired the side with the bases loaded and only giving up one run.

Going into the final frame the score was 4-1. The Muskies came out getting the meatier part of the bat on the ball and began getting base runners.

The Knights, who are generally speaking a solid defensive squad, muffed a few balls. With Trinity not her usual razor-sharp Edge, the Knights' perfect season seemed in jeopardy. But she pitched her way out of the inning only giving up three runs.
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The Knights were not able to score in the bottom of the seventh. In the ninth inning. the Muskies again looked to end the Knights' undefeated season by scoring a pair of runs. But the Knights rebounded scoring two of their own to tie it up again.
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The international tie-breaker rule was invoked. It's a sort of sudden death style way to get the game in the books. Each team starts with a runner on second base and tries to get them home. Abby Boland did just that to keep the Knights perfect on the season with a 13-0 region record.
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As the Knights head toward the postseason, they will definitely be facing tough competition like the Muskies provided Thursday.
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See more photos at ​https://www.zenfolio.com/sayerrich/e/p649453757
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