FC baseball gets in game before playoffs start

Franklin County High School’s varsity baseball team squeezed in an additional game against Loyd Star on Thursday, April 20 before the start of the Class 3A playoffs, and came up on the short end of a 15-5 road decision to the Hornets.

The Bulldogs had three hits and committed four errors in the loss while Loyd Star pounded out 10 hits and had one miscue.

The loss dropped Franklin County to a 17-6 overall record on the season.

FC scored a run in the top of the first and four more in the top of the fourth while the Hornets scored one in the bottom of the first, two in the third, three in the fourth and nine in the fifth.

Donovan Moore, who finished 1-of-3 in the contest, stroked a triple in the fourth frame, reached on an error, drew a walk and flied out for the Diamond Dawgs.

Moore also scored two runs and was credited with a game-high three RBI.

In addition, Dalton Meadow went 1-of-2 with a single, a walk, flied out and had an RBI, and Quez Rancifer was 1-of-3 with a single, an RBI and flied out twice.

FC’s Noah McCormick, who was 0-of-1 at the plate, scored a run after advancing on a walk and being hit by a pitch. He also flied out to center.

Despite going 0-of-2, Dakota Chisholm and Peyton Hebert both scored a run each with the duo being hit by a pitch one time.

Chisholm flied out and struck out and Hebert flied out and grounded out.

Larry Pernell, Jamari Tolliver and Terrance Fields were all 0-of-2 with Pernell walking twice, hitting into a fielder’s choice, and flying out once. Tolliver laid down a sacrifice bunt and struck out twice and Fields drew a walk, flied out and grounded out.

On the pitcher’s mound, Meadows worked for three-and-a-third innings in throwing 78 pitches. He gave up five runs (three of those earned) on three hits while striking out two and walking three.

Carter Spring spent the final inning-and-a-third on the hill and surrendered 10 runs (four of those earned) on seven hits. He walked two Loyd Star batters.

Franklin County, as the No. 1 seeded team from District 7-3A, was slated to begin first-round baseball playoff action on Tuesday, April 25 at home against the Forest High School Bearcats, the No. 4 seed from District 5-3A.

Results from the initial contest in the best two-of-three series were not available at press time and will appear in next week’s edition of The Franklin Advocate.