Panther softball is in the Mountain Seven Conference driver’s seat.
After falling to Tuscola March 15, Franklin spent the next month looking up at the Mountaineers, stuck at half a game back in the standings despite a three-week, eight-game win streak. In an April 18 rematch fans had long had circled on their calendars, Franklin paid back the Mounties in a 12-5 rout, extending their streak to 10 in a win over Pisgah April 21.
On Tuesday evening, the Panthers welcomed Tuscola to Macon Middle School in near-perfect conditions. In front of one of the field’s larger crowds of recent years, Franklin shot out of the gate in the first, getting a standup leadoff triple from senior shortstop Tori Ensley. On the next at-bat, freshman center fielder Ashlynn McConnell brought Ensley home with a single, scoring herself moments later on a double by junior catcher Avery Moffitt.
After a single by senior third baseman Meyaeh Tran brought Moffitt home to make it 3-0, Tuscola’s coach was forced to make an early-game mound visit. Franklin continued rattling the Mountie pitcher however, who allowed Tran to move to second on a wild pitch and score on a double by senior second baseman Tessa Dehart. Dehart’s double nearly cleared the outfield wall for a home run.
Despite an impressive diving catch by Ensley, Tuscola got on the board in the third, getting two walks, a single and an error to cut Franklin’s lead to 4-1. Moffitt swung the game right back however, jacking a solo home run to left center to lead off the bottom of the inning.
Franklin got another leadoff hit in the fourth, as junior right fielder Laura Holland singled, then moved to third on a double by McConnell. With two runners in scoring position, Tuscola was forced to make a pitching change, but freshman pitcher Kendall Rumans greeted her counterpart with a two-run single.
The Mounties showed signs of life in the fifth, getting two singles and a stolen base to make it a 7-2 game. In the bottom of the sixth, they heated up even more, turning two singles and two errors into another run. With runners on second and third with no outs, Rumans struck out the next two batters, but a two-out double brought the runners home to cut Tuscola’s deficit to 7-5.
After sneaking back into the game however, the Mounties couldn’t hold up defensively, as Franklin turned singles by Ensley and McConnell, an error and a wild pitch into a big insurance run. The Panthers continued the rally from there, getting a two-base error, another wild pitch, a Dehart walk and singles from Rumans, Tran and junior left fielder Delaney Stiles to go up 12-5.
By contrast, Franklin’s defense played lights-out in the seventh, getting a pinpoint throw to first from Ensley and two similar plays from Tran to retire Tuscola in order. The win improved the Panthers to 7-1 in the conference, giving them sole possession of first place over the 6-1 Mounties. After the game, Rumans said the victory gave Franklin momentum for the final two weeks of the season.
“It felt great, especially since they were first place in the conference and we were trying to overtake that place,” said the standout freshman. “It felt really great coming out here at home and seeing everybody here that came to support. … We started off hitting really good in the first inning, which was great because we all knew that pitcher was good. It’s just great that we weren’t intimidated and we still came out and hit good.”
In addition to her two-run single in the fourth, Rumans pitched all seven innings for Franklin, allowing five runs but dealing four strikeouts in the outing. Her fellow freshman, McConnell, led the Panthers at the plate, going 3 for 3 with the fourth-inning double, two RBIs and three runs scored.
After routing Tuscola, on Friday, April 21 the Panthers traveled to Pisgah for their second conference game of the week. In a rematch of Franklin’s 9-1 win at home March 21, the teams remained tied 3-3 after seven, but the Panthers’ two standout freshmen delivered more big hits in extra innings.
“We hit it there in the eighth inning when we needed to,” said Bishop. “We got a couple hits and got a couple runners on, and we got a big hit off the fence from Ashlynn McConnell and drove in two. Then Kendall got a hit and drove Ashlynn in, and we went up 6-3. I think they may have gotten one runner on [in the bottom of the eighth], but we either got three up and three down or three out of four.”
In contrast to their rout of Tuscola and their dramatic win over Pisgah, Franklin’s main conference rivals also fared poorly during the week. Between key losses suffered by Tuscola and North Henderson, the Panthers ended the week in clear control of the Mountain Seven.
“The big thing was, North Henderson beat Tuscola [Friday],” said Bishop. “North Henderson had lost to Smoky on Tuesday, and that was only [Smoky’s] second or third win of the season. Smoky beat North, and North was like 6-8 playing Tuscola; that gives Tuscola four losses in a row. They lost to T.C. Roberson, then they lost to us, then they lost to Enka, and [Friday] they lost to North. So, they’re on a four-game losing streak, and we’re on a 10-game winning streak, which is good for us.”
The Panthers ended the week with an 8-1 record in the conference, ahead of 6-2 Tuscola and 6-2 West Henderson, with three conference games remaining. The team travels to West Henderson May 2.