Franklin Regional Wins Pitching Duel To Advance to PIAA Playoffs
After getting upset in the Class 5A WPIAL baseball semifinals, Franklin Regional had to quickly refocus if they wanted its season to continue.
The No. 2 Panthers did just that, knocking off No. 8 Mars, 4-1, in the Consolation Game at Washington & Jefferson College’s Memorial Park.
Franklin Regional didn’t need much offensive support to back sophomore starter Andrew Muraco, who went 5.2 innings for the win, striking out four and allowing the lone earned run. Senior Michael Klingensmith closed it out to pick up the save.
Klingensmith was also won of the offensive leaders, going 2-for-4 with a triple and run scored. Also recording multi-hit games were sophomore Louie Kegerreis with a 2-for-3 performance with a run scored and two RBI and senior Matthew Fitzmaurice going 2-for-3.
With the win, the Panthers improve to 18-2 and will await their opponent on Monday.