Big week propels Franklin Regional baseball

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, May 11, 2018 | 11:00 PM

Franklin Regional's baseball team had a successful business week.

The Panthers won five games in five days to close April and open May. Overall, their streak reached seven victories down the stretch. They hope that momentum carries over to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs. The No. 6-seeded Panthers will play Montour at 2 p.m. Tuesday at West Mifflin.

“The guys have been playing great. They've been playing team baseball,” Franklin Regional coach Bob Saddler said. “Anytime you can win five section games in a week, it speaks to the depth of the team and the depth of the pitching staff and the culture of these guys and how they are able to focus on the task at hand, play the game, enjoy the win and then turn the page and get ready for the next game.”

Franklin Regional catapulted itself to second in the Section 3 standings at 12-2 with that run. The Panthers opened the week with a 5-1 win over McKeesport. They followed with a 2-0 triumph over section champ Laurel Highlands and added a 15-5 victory at Woodland Hills. Franklin Regional earned a 3-1 win at Thomas Jefferson and closed the week with a 15-0 drubbing of Latrobe, the defending WPIAL and PIAA champ.

“Going into that Friday game, they could have been complacent with a 4-0 record in the week, but they went out and played what may have been one of their best games of the season and put up 15 runs,” Saddler said.

The Panthers' pitchers answered the challenge of a compacted schedule. Michael Klingensmith pitched all seven innings in the team's win over McKeesport. Alex Frey did not allow any hits against Laurel Highlands and Palmer Jackson earned the save. Jackson got the mound win over Woodland Hills, and Bronson Ianno silenced Thomas Jefferson. Freshman Andrew Muraco blanked Latrobe.

“This is one of the deepest pitching staffs we've had. All our guys can throw strikes. They are going to make opposing teams beat us. We won't beat ourselves,” Saddler said. “We played great defensive baseball, too. The guys on the mound are challenging hitters and not making mistakes or getting behind in the count. That makes your defense more engaged in games because they know the baseball is coming.

“When you play five games in a week, it does test to see how good of a team you really are as opposed to when you're playing one or two games per week and don't have to trot out so many starters.”

The Panthers hope their proven pitchers will be a bonus for the postseason.

“Come playoff time, you hope you're able to play multiple games in a week so teams are tested for depth. If that's the case, I am very confident in our pitching staff,” Saddler said. “We have a very, very deep staff that can get outs for us in any type of situation.”

Saddler has witnessed balance at the plate, too.

“One thing about our team is we're not reliant on one person in our order. The majority of guys are all hitting over .300. They do a great job with the mental aspect of the game and what to do early in the count and, if it gets to two strikes, they understand it's the team's at-bat and they'll do the thing they need to do in order to help the next guy bring in a runner.”

The team's hot streak has only boosted its confidence, which is key since the roster has just two seniors in outfielder Tylar Wetmore and Frey.

“Experience at the beginning of the year was one of our question marks. Now, with so many games under our belt, the freshmen are not really freshmen anymore. Getting all these games and building confidence, you can see their progression in their at-bats and their approach at the plate and how the pitchers are attacking the strike zone, pitching to their strengths and getting ahead of guys. I can definitely see maturity throughout the entire team.

“It's been a true pleasure to coach these guys. I can't speak enough about the work ethic this team has embraced and the coachability of the players. They are always looking to get better and that's why you see that progression toward the end of the year. We're playing our best baseball at the end of the season because they've worked so hard.”

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional