04/12/2018

Franklin Tops Oliver Ames In Extra Innings

Franklin baseball — Franklin junior Scott Elliott hits an RBI double in the third inning against Oliver Ames. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.
NORTH EASTON, Mass. – Franklin senior Steven Luttazi hadn’t had his best performance at the plate, held without a hit through the first seven innings. But his day changed with one swing of the bat.

When the Panthers needed him the most, the senior delivered a clutch two-out single to drive in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning. Junior Jake Macchi followed with a monster two-run double and Franklin prevailed from Frothingham Park with a 5-2 decision in eight innings.

“It was a tie ballgame, senior at the plate, a kid who’s worked really hard in the offseason…I feel like he was pressing early on but he let the game come to him and put a good swing on it and sparked us,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown. “Then Jake followed it up with the big blow.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Franklin was three outs from earning a win in regulation, but Oliver Ames rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. But instead of wilting, the Panthers responded — all with two outs.

Senior Colby Fitzgibbons drew a two-out walk from the nine hole, and after stealing second, junior Alex Haba took first after another walk. In stepped Luttazi, who laced a 1-0 pitch into center field to bring pinch runner Shane O’Neil home.

Macchi then launched the first pitch he saw into deep left center field resulting in a two-run double and a three-run lead.

“It was one of those early New England high school baseball games,” Brown said. “OA is really well coached, they play a real sound game. We’re lucky to get out of here with an extra inning win. It was a character win for us. We were frustrated with the way we played in the opener, and we let a two-run lead bleed away here but the guys showed a lot of resolve and a lot of character, and we got a lot of contributions from guys up and down the lineup.”

Sophomore Will Pacheco, who escaped a jam in the bottom of the seventh, retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth to earn his first varsity win.

Franklin built a 2-0 lead by scoring solo runs in the top of the second and the third, but Oliver Ames clawed back with a run in the fifth and the tying run in the seventh. OA senior Matt Muir reached with a one-out single, stole second, and came around to score on a double from classmate Nick Zwerle to tie the game.

OA had runners on first and second with one out, but Pacheco got a big strikeout, and Scott Elliott made a nice catch in foul territory in left field to send the game into extras.

“The kids showed a lot of heart there at the end to rally,” said OA head coach Joe Abarr. “We’ll reset…we’ll try to get our timing right with our hitters and then try to figure out our rotation, and see what happens from there.”

Elliott had a hand in both of Franklin’s first two runs. In the top of the second, the junior led off with a single and took second on a fielding error. He took third on a groundout from Jake Noviello and then scored on a bases loaded infield single from Haba to make it 1-0.

Macchi singled to lead off the top of the third and advanced to second base on a balk. Elliott delivered with an RBI double to bring Macchi home for a 2-0 lead.

“Scott has been doing a real nice job,” Brown said. “He’s been working hard, has had great at-bats, really competitive. He’s a hockey guy so he has that hand-eye coordination and we’re just excited with where he’s at.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Oliver Ames cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth inning. Muir drilled a triple into center field, through the branches of the tree at Frothingham. Muir came home to score on a groundout from Zwerle.

As a team, Oliver Ames posted just five hits.

“A lot of is just timing,” Abarr said. “You see it click with some guys, like Muir today, he came on line. But some of the guys we’re dependent on just haven’t picked up the in-season rhythm yet. The kids will come around…Franklin figured it out in the last inning there.”

Franklin senior Bryan Woelfel got into a nice rhythm over his 6.1 innings of work, allowing five hits while striking out seven.

“Bryan worked really hard in the offseason and was throwing a lot,” Brown said. “He did a good job building up his arm so that he can last longer. Then Will Pacheco came in and slammed the door for us.”

Oliver Ames senior Michael Mulrean had a strong outing in relief for the Tigers, striking out four in four shutout innings of work with just four hits.

“He was phenomenal, I was very impressed with him,” Abarr said of Mulrean. “There were a lot of positives that came out of that game, obviously we want the win, but a lot of guys stepped up and showed what they’re capable of. Mike did awesome, he kept us in the ballgame.”

Oliver Ames (0-2, 0-2) looks to bounce back on the same day when it hits the road to play at New Bedford.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

06/29/2017

2017 HockomockSports.com Baseball Awards

Click here for the 2017 HockomockSports.com Baseball Awards.

06/05/2017

Strong Start Sends Franklin Past Marshfield

By Joe Clark, HockomockSports.com Student Reporter

FRANKLIN, Mass. – After an eight day break between games, the Franklin baseball team was eager to get back out on the diamond.

That eagerness showed in the form of early offense, as the top-seeded Panthers scored six runs in the first three innings en route to beating 17th-seeded Marshfield 6-1.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

In the bottom of the first, senior Ryan Hodgkins singled with one out and stole second, then advanced to third on a groundout. Josh Macchi singled into center and scored Hodgkins to give Franklin an early 1-0 lead.

In the top of the second inning, Marshfield had a runner on first with two outs when Jarred Pellegrino hit what looked to be at least a single into the gap in left center, but a fantastic diving catch by Jake Lyons ended the half inning.

Franklin took that momentum and used it at the playing, rattling off three straight singles to load the bases. Cam Lupien brought Tyler Gomes home on a fielder’s choice to put Franklin up 2-0.

With runners at the corners, Lupien took off for second, and when Marshfield threw down to second, sophomore Alex Haba broke for the plate from third. Instead of trying to get Lupien out, Marshfield threw home but Haba beat the throw and Franklin went up 3-0.

A Jake Noviello double then put runners on second and third, and after Lyons grounded to third, Marshfield tried to get Lupien out at the plate but the throw was late and Franklin went up 4-0 and Lyons reached safely. Hodgkins then grounded out to second, but Noviello scored from third on the play and Franklin extended its lead to 5-0.

Marshfield starter Eddie Kielty got out of the jam by striking out the next hitter, but a 1-2-3 top of the third from Noviello let the Franklin bats get back to work.

On the strength of three singles, Franklin loaded the bases with just one out, but Marshfield got a force out at the plate. With Noviello at the plate, Kielty’s pitch in the dirt bounced away from the Marshfield catcher and Haba scored from third to put Franklin up 6-0.

“We work hard on just trying to manufacture runs, I don’t think we have a tons of guys who are going to hit home runs, so we have to find some different ways to score runs, and today was just another example of guys with heads up base running,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown about Franklin’s work on the base paths.

From then on out, the star of the game was Noviello, who pitched six innings, allowing just one unearned run and only four hits — all singles — while also striking out six and earning the win. Noviello also went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored a run in addition to his work on the mound.

“Every time he has the ball in his hand, we feel really confident that he’s going to give us a great effort, and he did a great job for six innings,” added Brown about Noviello.

Marshfield put a run on the board in the top of the sixth when John Viola reached on an error to start the inning and then advanced on a single from Sam Crawford before scoring on a single by Kielty. It would end up being the only inning Marshfield had more than one hit.

With the win, Franklin baseball moves on to play eighth-seeded Durfee at home at 4:00 PM on Monday. It will be a rematch of last year’s first round matchup, when the Hilltoppers beat the Panthers in Fall River.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

05/19/2017

Ulrickson, Franklin Clinch Share of Kelley-Rex Title

FRANKLIN, Mass. – When the showdown between rivals Mansfield and Franklin was moved from Tuesday to Thursday because of rain, it meant to two things: the winner of the game would now clinch at least a share of the Kelley-Rex title and Franklin’s starting pitcher would be different.

Franklin ace Jake Noviello toed the rubber on Wednesday against Attleboro, meaning that the Panthers would go with their number two starter.

But luckily for the Panthers, their number two is also an ace.

Junior Jason Ulrickson (6-0) scattered five hits in 5.2 innings of work to earn the win and also delivered at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, leading the Panthers to a 6-3 win over the Hornets under the lights on the campus of Franklin High School.

“I was pumped,” Ulrickson said when he realized he would be starting the game after the postponement. “I’m always looking for the opportunity to pitch in the big games. At the beginning, it was a little rocky but once I settled in I was feeling good.”

The win clinches at least a share of the Kelley-Rex title for Franklin, the program’s first league title since 2012.

“We have all the respect in the world for Mansfield, coach Breen and that team,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown, who earned his first title in his fourth year at the helm. “We knew it would be a dog fight. They made it really tough on us.

“The thing we talk about all the time is that you have to earn it, you have to get 21 outs. They don’t come easy so I’m proud of our guys that when they had opportunities, they were able to make them.”

Franklin didn’t waste too much time to get its offense in gear, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Jake Lyons reached on an error to lead off, Ryan Hodgkins singled to move Lyons to third and Ulrickson lined singled up the right side to bring the first run in.

After a fielder’s choice, Tyler Gomes grounded a single through the hole to bring Ulrickson home.

“Getting on top early is huge, that gives the team a lot of energy,” Ulrickson said. “Once we get going, we can really start to hit.”

Mansfield was quick to respond, cutting the deficit in half in the next half inning. Cullin Anastasia singled and moved to second on a fielder’s choice. Kevin Dow took ball four, which turned into a passed ball, allowing Anastasia to take third. Anthony DeGirolamo hit a grounder that looked to be the third out, but the ball was dropped at first and Anastasia scored.

The Hornets then took the lead in the fourth inning, tacking on two more unearned runs against Ulrickson. Kyle Moran got things started with a two-out single and Dow followed up with another single to put runners on the corners — Connor Driscoll taking third as a pinch runner. DeGirolamo drove a shot to right field that required a tough play from the fielder and the ball fell out of the glove, allowing two runs to cross on the error.

“We just didn’t make the pitch when we needed to, we didn’t make the play when we needed to,” said Mansfield head coach Joe Breen. The Hornets had three errors. “It was somewhat of an uncharacteristic game for us. Unfortunately when you play a team like Franklin, you don’t get to make that many mistakes and come out on top.

“Our guys fight, we battle…we’ve been down in other games and came back with different results. Our guys won’t stop fighting I know that. But when you play a team as good as Franklin, a team coached as well as they are, you can’t make the mistakes we made.”

Franklin came back to regain the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Senior Josh Macchi led off with a single and Gomes launched a double to put runners on second and third. Sophomore Alex Haba delivered the big hit of the game, doubling to left center to bring in two runs to give Franklin a 4-3 lead.

“Alex has been really steady for us offensively all year,” Brown said. “Even though he’s a sophomore, he certainly has a veteran’s soul. That at-bat there really spoke to his presence in the batter’s box, his poise in the game.”

The Panthers’ offense kept rolling an inning later, plating two more insurance runs in the sixth. Lyons notched his second hit of the game to start the inning and took third on a perfectly hit and run play with Hodgkins knocking a single into right. Ulrickson padded the lead with a two-run double into right center to put Franklin up 6-3.

“I don’t think Jason had his best stuff today on the mound but he’s always a great competitor,” Brown said. “Whether it was on the hill or in the batters box when we needed him, he was big for us so I was proud of him.”

Franklin junior Bryan Woelfel recorded the save, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings.

Franklin baseball improves to 12-3 overall in league play. The Panthers can win the title outright with either a win over King Philip on Monday or an Oliver Ames win over Mansfield on Tuesday.

“We have a ton of respect of all the teams in our league,” Brown said. “I really think that the Hockomock, top to bottom, every year is really tough and you have to grind it out. It’s really a testament to our guys and how consistent they’ve been this season.”

“It feels great, but we’re not done yet,” Ulrickson beamed.

Franklin baseball (13-4) is back in action on Friday with a trip to Framingham. Mansfield (13-5 overall, 11-4 Hockomock) hosts Oliver Ames on Tuesday.

04/23/2017

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/24/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 3 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – Attleboro senior Tyler McGovern tossed a complete game, scattering six hits while issuing just one walk to guide the Bombardiers past Franklin. James Weir went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI and made a game-ending diving catch in the outfield for Big Blue. Dylan Maskell brought home the third run on a squeeze play. Franklin’s Jake Noviello also threw a complete game, allowing just two earned runs while striking out six. Ryan Hodgkins went 2-for-2 with a run and two stolen bases while Jason Ulrickson also notched two hits.

Canton, 7 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final

King Philip, 0 @ Mansfield, 9 – Final – Mansfield senior Nolan Dousa needed just 70 pitches to finish a complete game shutout and the Hornets’ offense got off to a strong start early on to beat King Philip. Dousa tossed 54 of his 70 pitches for strikes, allowing just four hits and striking out for to earn the win. Mansfield scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning, added single runs in the third and fifth and then tacked on two more in the sixth. Zack Peterson (run, RBI) and Kyle Moran (two runs) each had a pair of hits for Mansfield. Aidan Cahill (1-for-3) and Cullen Anastasia (1-for-2, run) each knocked in a pair of runs for the Hornets. King Philip’s Ben Furfari had a pair of hits for the Warriors.

North Attleboro, 7 @ Milford, 3 – Final – North Attleboro broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the fifth inning and then tacked on three more insurance runs in the seventh inning to pick up a key division win. Nick Sinacola picked up the win for Big Red, tossing a complete game with three strikeouts. At the plate, Sinacola went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. John Brennan had a two-run single in the fourth inning that tied the game 3-3. Nick Crawley had a two-run hit in the seventh to tack on North’s final two runs. Milford’s Anthony Arcudi was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and Aidan Wilde was 2-for-2 with an RBI.

Taunton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Sam Burr tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits and didn’t issue a walk to help hand Taunton its first loss of the season. Burr struck out three in the win. Kyle Gagliardi was 2-for-3 and turned a double play in the third inning to help OA escape potential danger. Evan DeMartinis was also 2-for-3 while Nick Zwerle was 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Stoughton, 13 @ Sharon, 0 – Final – Justin Hutchinson was dominant through the first four innings to earn the win and classmate Matt Gallagher completed the shutout with three innings of work with just two hits allowed. Hutchinson allowed just one hit in his four innings of work while striking out seven. Offensively, Ruben Gonzalez had a pair of hits, two runs scored, three stolen bases and four RBI to pace the Black Knights. Ryan Sullivan, Pat Hagerty, and Michael Batte each had two hits for Stoughton.

Softball
Franklin, 1 @ Attleboro, 5 – Final – Attleboro’s McKenzie Bergdoll impressed in the circle and Jordyn Lako played a big role in the offense as the Bombardiers beat Franklin. Bergdoll allowed just two hits in a complete game effort to earn the win. Lako went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI. Attleboro freshman Mishayla Cullhane took over at catcher in the first inning after an injury and head coach Mark Hoemr said “she did a great job for her first game behind the plate.” Homer added Attleboro’s solid play in the infield made a big difference for the Bombardiers.

Foxboro, 23 @ Canton, 5 – Final

Mansfield, 3 @ King Philip, 9 – Final – King Philip scored five runs in the first to take control in the Kelley-Rex matchup. Jess Bonner had a standout day at the plate for the Warriors, hitting a pair of home runs and totaling five RBI. Jenn Hutnyan allowed just two hits in a strong game in the circle for KP. Meghan Gorman, Hailey McCasland and Elise Pereira each added a pair of hits in the Warriors’ win. Mady Bendanillo drove in all three Mansfield runs with a homer in the third inning, plating Sarah Bradley and Kara Bendanillo, and cut the lead to two. KP added four runs on five hits in the sixth to pull away.

Milford, 14 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – Milford’s offense was locked in, belting out 17 hits to pick up a key division win over North Attleboro. Jess Tomaso accounted for four of those hits, including a double, and finished with two RBI and two runs scored. Kate Irwin (RBI, two runs, stolen base) and Emily Piergustavo (double, triple, three RBI, three runs) each had three hits for the Hawks. Emily Hartman connected on a solo home run and Shannon Cormier launched a three-run home run to complete Milford’s big day on offense. Ali Atherton scattered five hits in six innings of work, striking out six, allowing one walk and giving up just one earned run.

Oliver Ames, 2 @ Taunton, 13 – Final – Taunton rebounded from a two-game losing streak to pick up the league win. Courtney Fisher threw four innings to get her sixth win and eighth grader Kelsey White threw three scoreless innings in relief, striking out six while allowing just one hit. Eighth grader Hannah Aldrich had three hits for Taunton, while Kya Enos had a homer, a double, and drove in three runs. Jaime Brown (RBI), MacKenzie Handrahan, Katie Van Zandt (RBI), McKenzie McAloon (RBI), and Jaylin Couto (two RBI) all had two hits apiece for Taunton. For Oliver Ames, Sarah Tetrault was 1-for-3 with a run scored, Kayla Georgeu was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Colleen Larson was 1-for-2, putting Georgeu in scoring position for Victoria Ziner (1-3, RBI) to bunt Georgeu in for a run in the second.

Sharon, 0 @ Stoughton, 9 – Final – Gina Carafa picked up the win in the circle, striking out seven Eagles in four innings, and also went 3-for-3 with five RBI, including a three-run homer in the first inning. Jordan Lyons went 2-for-3 and hit a two-run homer in the sixth for the Black Knights. Shannon Flaherty, Nikki Coppola, and Brianna Ferrandiz all had two hits apiece for Stoughton. Sam Marglous, Rebecca Clayman, and Courtney Sollis had hits for Sharon.

Boys Lacrosse
Foxboro, 4 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Click here for a recap of the game.

Franklin, 18 @ Sharon, 2 – Final – Franklin’s offense scored in double figures for the fifth time in the last six games, netting at least 18 for the fourth time in a big win at Sharon. Sam Arsenault (three goals, three assists) and Eric Civetti (five goals, one assist) each had six points to pace the offense. Nitin Chaudhury added two goals and one assists and Johnny O’Glishen and Jake Davis each found the back of the net twice. FHS coach Lou Verrochi praised Pat Morrison, Wyatt Arsenault and Spencer Briggs for their defensive work in front of goalie Connor O’Rourke (one goal allowed).

King Philip, 10 vs. Westwood, 9 – Final

Mansfield, 9 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 8 – Final – Bridgewater-Raynham staked a 5-4 lead at halftime but Mansfield ramped up its effort on both ends of the field to get the win. Senior Cullen Murphy (goal and assist) provided the game-winning goal off an assist from Aidan Sacco) Sean Powers had another strong game in goal, recording 16 saves while Grant Milas and Tommy Donnelly had strong games in front of him. Offensively, Hunter Ferreira netted a pair of goals and recorded two assists, Danny DeGirolamo and Sam O’Connell each scored twice, Joe Cox scored once and had two assists and Murphy and Sacco each scored once and had once assist for the Hornets.

Taunton, 4 @ Milford, 12 – Final

North Attleboro, 14 vs. Scituate, 6 – Final – North Attleboro picked up its biggest win of the season, knocking off Scituate at home. Big Red’s starters raced out to a 12-3 lead before the Sailors made a late push. Zach McGowan (one assist) and Jack Dakin (two assists) each scored four goals to pace the Rocketeers’ offense. Tommy Lindstrom set up three goals while LSM Max Fontes and Jason McNeany (14 face off wins) both scored twice. Nick Moore added one goal and one assist, Colin Young had one helper and Andy DeMattio scored once. Senior Dan MacDonald turned away 16 saves while also recording two assists for North Attleboro.

Girls Lacrosse
King Philip @ Attleboro, 3:45

Canton, 18 vs. Plymouth North, 6 – Final

Foxboro, 5 vs. Cohasset, 14 – Final

Franklin, 4 @ Notre Dame Academy, 14 – Final – Franklin cut the deficit to just three goals early in the second half but the top-ranked team in the state pulled away with a 7-1 run. Kendall Reardon had two goals while Caroline Lounsbury and Erin Walsh each found the back of the net once. Freshman Gianna Cameron made 10 saves in net.

Milford, 14 @ Taunton, 18 – Final – Eighth grader Alana Tavares scored 13 goals to lead the way for the Tigers. Abbey Kingman and Delaney Powell each scored two goals and Lorna Li made 13 saves in the win. Taylor Dube was the top scorer with five goals, Jill Burley added four goals, and Briana Maietta had a pair of goals, while Amber Stearns made eight saves in the loss.

Oliver Ames, 17 @ Norton, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames snapped four game skid with an impressive performance on both ends on the road at Norton. Olivia Piazza poured in a team-high six goals to pace the offense while Kendall Clifford and Chloe Kikelly each had four goals. Sofia Masciarelli chipped in with two goals for the Tigers. Ari Waldorf made five saves in goal for OA.

Boys Tennis
Franklin, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Neither of Franklin’s doubles teams lost a game and the Panthers won all five games in straight sets to beat Attleboro. The team of James Johnston and Derek Wu won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles and Tyler DiPalma and Rahul Hosdurg won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles. In singles play, Rahul Herur won 6-3, 6-0 at first singles, Eli Brooks was victorious 6-1, 6-0 at second singles and freshman Rohan Herur notched a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles.

Foxboro, 3 @ Canton, 2 – Final

Mansfield, 2 @ King Philip, 3 – Final – King Philip picked up comfortable wins at first and third singles as well as second doubles to beat the Hornets. Cole Ginter won 6-2, 6-2 at first singles and Martin Matous won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles for KP. The team of Aidan Ignatius and Marco DiStefano won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles to get the third and final point. Mansfield’s Luke Nickerson won 6-4, 6-1 at second singles.

Milford, 1 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – North Attleboro won a pair of matches at singles as well as doubles to defend home court against the Scarlet Hawks. Senior Zac Pfeffer won 6-4, 6-0 at first singles and classmate Barsomo Nuay won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles. The team of senior Daniel Zhang and junior Ben Pfeffer won 6-1, 6-2 at first doubles and senior Andrew Harris and junior Mayank Wadekar won 6-2, 6-2 at second doubles. Milford senior Sam Little won 3-6, 7-6, 10-6 at third singles.

Oliver Ames, 1 @ Taunton, 4 – Final – Taunton swept singles play and won three of its four matches in straight sets to take down Oliver Ames. Sophomore Brett Beaulieu won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, junior Mike Briggs won 6-1, 6-0 at second singles and senior Eric Gwozdz won 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 at third singles. The team of sophomores Dylan Kullas and Charlie Fiske was 6-3, 6-4 at first doubles. Oliver Ames’ Greg Mueller and Michael Souza won 7-6, 7-5 at second doubles.

Sharon, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Sharon didn’t drop a game in any of its three singles matches on the road at Stoughton. Senior Griffin Fein and juniors Fred Bondar and Andre Olivei each won 6-0, 6-0 at first, second and third singles, respectively. Alex Romantz and Danujan Thirumavalavan won 6-0, 6-1 at first doubles and Alberto Olivei and Ashwin Sreevatsa won 6-0, 6-1 at second doubles.

Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin won all five matches, three of them in straight sets to beat the Bombardiers. Senior Hannah Sweeney won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, senior Anja Deric won 6-3, 6-0 at second singles and junior Stephanie Schiavo won 3-6, 7-6, 10-6 at third singles. The team of seniors Julia Hogan and Madison Derby won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at first singles and senior Sarah Labo and junior Jillian McLaughlin won 6-1, 6-3 at second doubles.

Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – The Warriors of Foxboro won all three singles matches in straight sets to defend home court. Sophia Prinos won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, Julia Muise won 6-1, 6-0 at second singles and Kayla Prag picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles. The team of Olivia Dantona and Kendall Milender notched a 6-1, 3-6,6-3 at first doubles. Canton’s Stelina Michaelidis and Sarah Hernandez won 6-2, 7-5 at second doubles.

King Philip, 4 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – Neither of King Philip’s doubles teams dropped a single game and the Warriors also won two single matches in straight sets to pick up a win on the road. Freshman Erin Regnier won 6-2, 6-2 at second singles and junior Meghan Sepich won 6-2, 6-3 at third singles. The team of seniors Megan Davenport and Carly Adams won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles and the senior Corinne Palumbo and junior Lucy Barnard won by the same score at second doubles. Mansfield’s Paulina Martin won the first set 6-1 and then battled back from an 0-3 hole to win the second set 6-4 at first singles.

North Attleboro, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final

Taunton, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Taunton won all five matches in straight sets, dropping a total of four games in singles play and just one in doubles play. Olivia Sweeney won 6-1, 6-1 at first singles, Jordan Pagliuca notched a 6-0, 6-1 at second singles and Jillian Pagliuca recorded a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of Ashleigh Eason and Emily Moor didn’t drop a single game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first doubles and Jordan Martin and Caroline Hebert won 6-0, 6-1 at second doubles.

Stoughton @ Sharon, 3:45

Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 3 @ Milford, 0 – Final – Taunton earned its second sweep of Milford this season, notching a 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 win. Taunton head coach Toby Chaperon said sophomore Gabe Kingman had a strong game in the back row for the Tigers while Malik Charles had seven kills and three blocks. Milford senior Jack Winship notched 10 kills, nine digs and four aces while classmate Danny Zwonik had 27 assists and an ace. Sophomore Joao Boaventura added eight kills, six digs and two blocks and sophomore Zach Brown had four kills, three blocks and an ace.

04/20/2017

Late Rally Pushes Franklin Past Walpole In Extras

By Joe Clark, HockomockSports.com Student Reporter

FRANKLIN, Mass. The Franklin High boys baseball team used a late two-out rally to force extra innings and eventually walked off with a 4-3 win over previously unbeaten Walpole.

Trailing 3-0 heading into the final at-bats, the Panthers were down to their last out. Senior Jake Lyons came through with a single into left, and Ryan Hodgkins followed that up with a single of his own. Tyler Gomes drew a walk, and with the bases loaded and two outs, Josh Macchi singled up the middle to score both Lyons and Hodgkins. With runners at the corners, Bryan Woelfel singled home Gomes to tie the game up at 3-3. After a passed ball, Franklin had runners at second and third, but Walpole managed to get a strikeout to send the game to extra innings.

“Our guys really fought to the end,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown. “We’ve been kind of scuffling a bit offensively, and it just felt like there was going to be a time where we broke through, and thankfully today it was in the seventh.”

Woelfel came in to pitch in relief in the eighth and induced a 1-6-3 double play after inheriting a runner at first. Woelfel then struck out Sean McCarthy, but a dropped third strike allowed him to reach base safely. Given new life, Brett Lavanchy singled which advanced McCarthy to third, but Tyler Page grounded to Macchi who took it to first himself for the out. In the bottom of the eighth, Franklin had a runner reach second but was picked off.

Woelfel struck out McCelaney to start the top of the ninth, but Andrew Moore singled, and after Cam Martin grounded out Charlie Auditore singled to advance Moore to third. With runners on the corners and two outs, Woelfel struck out Bryan Kraus to end the inning.

Lyons singled to kick off the bottom of the ninth. Tyler Gomes drew a one-out walk, setting up Macchi with runners on first and second. Macchi delivered, singling up the middle to score Lyons and give Franklin the 4-3 win.

“Josh has been a contributor for us for the last couple of years and is a mainstay in the middle of our lineup, so whenever he’s up we feel really good about our chances,” Brown added about Macchi’s 2-5, three RBI performance.

Walpole got on the board first in the bottom of the second when Lavanchy drew a walk and then Tyler Page hit a comebacker right up the middle that hit Franklin pitcher Jake Noviello in the knee and allowed him to reach with a single.

Noviello would manage to stay in the game, much to the benefit of the Panthers. After Page’s hit, an error by Franklin allowed Lavanchy to score from second, but Noviello would get Andrew Moore to ground out to short to end the inning. In the top of the third, the Rebels threatened again after Cam Martin doubled, but Franklin third baseman James Leofanti made a magnificent leaping grab on a line drive by Charlie Auditore that would’ve driven in Martin. Kraus got hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second, but Noviello worked out of it, striking out Brian Gaughan and getting Sean McCarthy to line out to first.

Cam Schlitter completely shut down the Franklin bats early on, as he struck out five batters his first time through the order, only surrendering two hits. In the bottom of the fourth, Franklin threatened when with two outs, Alex Haba walked and then stole second, but in the process he took a shot to the face, and the collision forced both Haba and Walpole shortstop Jack Magane out of the game. A single by Noviello put runners at the corners, but Schlitter picked up his sixth strikeout to escape the jam.

The pitchers duel only continued from there, with Noviello only allowing one baserunner from the fourth through the sixth, while striking out three guys en route to seven total strikeouts in 6.1 innings pitched.

Schlitter would exit in the bottom of the fifth after walking Leofanti and Hodgkins to put runners on first and second, but Walpole’s Matt Danato would get a fly out to left field to end the inning. In the sixth, Danato would allow a two out single to Noviello, who finished the day 2-4 in addition to his stellar performance on the hill, but that would be all.

Tyler Page would lead off the seventh with a single, and then Teddy McCelaney, the injury replacement for Jack Magane, drew a walk. Andrew Moore then laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance Dylan Hannafin, who pinch ran for Page, and McCelaney. With runners on second and third, Cam Martin laced a single into right field to score both Hannafin and McCelaney and put Walpole up 3-0. Leofanti came in to relieve Noviello, and he immediately picked off Martin and then got Charlie Auditore to fly out to right.

Franklin (3-2) gets back to action Thursday afternoon at 3:45 in Mansfield to take on the 3-2 Hornets.

10/13/2016

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 10/13/16

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Soccer
Attleboro, 0 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Click here for a recap of the game.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Canton, 0 – Final

Mansfield, 4 @ Milford, 1 – Final – Milford freshman Jordan Borges scored his first career goal off an assist by Marcello Panno to open the scoring but Mansfield netted four goals in the final seven minutes of the first half to get the win. Sean Lanzillo leveled the score off an assist from Ethan Brill-Cass in the 33rd minute, Cullin Anastasia put Mansfield up 2-1 on an assist from Kevin Bouck in the 35th minute, James Chotkowski made it 3-1 off an assist from Brill-Cass in the 39th minute and then Anastasia made it 4-1 off an assist from Lanzillo just 30 seconds later. Mansfield goalie Nick Ferraz replaced an injured Jed Tolbert in net in the second half and made 12 saves – head coach Steve Sheridan saying Ferraz played phenomenal. Milford head coach Brian Edwards said Zachary Brown and Mike Weber played extremely well for the Scarlet Hawks.

King Philip, 2 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – King Philip senior Colby Koch opened the scoring for the Warriors, finishing off a one on one situation after a ball over the top from Tyler Mann. Jason Florio netted the game-winner in the 77th minute, finishing at the back post off a feed from Anthony Bozza. North Attleboro netted it’s goal in the 79th minute.

Taunton, 0 @ Stoughton, 4 – Final – Stoughton scored a pair of goals in each half to earn its seventh win of the season. Jordan Asnes opened the scoring with a shot into the bottom left corner after a cross from Marco Antunes. Antunes then set up Loubensky Lucas four minutes later, playing a through ball while Lucas lifted the ball over the keeper to make it 2-0. Senior Goddy Fombe made a nice run out of the back, putting a through ball into Lucas who ran onto it and slotted it home. Sophomore Fabio Ponce De Leon capped the scoring, flicking in a service from Conner Kavanagh at the near post to make it 4-0. Matt Gallagher earned his second shutout of the year in net.

Girls Soccer
Foxboro, 4 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final

Canton, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames scored two goals in each half to pick up its 10th win of the season. Tori Wyman, on an assist from Anna Tempestoso and Kiana Lozzi, on an assist from Abby Hodges gave OA a 2-0 lead at halftime. Jess Robarge, on an assist from Zoe Chazan) and Jackie Mills added second half goal for the Tigers.

Milford, 0 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Hannah Reiter netted a pair of goals and assisted on Stephanie Kemp’s goal to lift Mansfield. Kemp also notched an assist in the win. Milford head coach Jay Mastaj said Nichole Dahlgren and Rachel LeBlanc played well on defense.

North Attleboro, 0 @ King Philip, 3 – Final – King Philip scored three goals in the final 15 minutes to pick up the win over North Attleboro. Chloe Layne scored the game-winner, converting a corner kick from Emma Corcoran in the 65th minute. Kathrine Turner found Rachel Hogan, who volleyed her shot into the net to make it 2-0 with just under five minutes to play. Just 30 seconds later, Corcoran service another corner that Avery Snead latched onto to make it 3-0.

Stoughton, 0 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Izzy DaCosta netted the lone goal of the game to lift the Tigers. Stoughton head coach Tara Daniels said Emerson Sprague, Krista Michensi, Corina Kavengh and Sarah Widrow all played well defensively for the Black Knights.

Volleyball
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Canton, 3 – Final

Mansfield, 3 @ Milford, 2 – Final – In a match filled with long rallies, Mansfield was able to edge Milford, 21-25, 25-19, 24-26, 26-24, 15-8. “It was an outstanding team effort by our whole team,” Mansfield head coach Melissa Heeden said. For the Hornets, Jess Haradon had 43 digs, Chloe Peters had 49 assists, Meg Hill added 14 kills, Julia Harrison chipped in with 12 digs and 10 kills, Jacey Anderson had 22 digs, Emily Kleber finished with eight kills and Olivia Broyles had seven kills.

King Philip, 3 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – King Philip avenged a non-league loss to the Rocketeers last week with a 25-21, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20 league win on Thursday. Sydney Phillips paced the offense with 19 kills while adding 18 service points and three blocks. Kat Kmetz had 23 service points for the Warriors along with three kills and two blocks, Amanda Loewen had 11 service points and eight digs and Angela Vellante added 25 service points and two digs.

Sharon, 0 @ Norwood, 3 – Final

Taunton, 0 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final – Stoughton’s Riley Bagley had a strong all around game with with eight kills and 16 digs.

Field Hockey
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Canton, 1 – Final – Andrea McNeil scored the lone goal of the game while Taylor Carrington recorded the shutout in net for the Bulldogs. Oliver Ames head coach Abby Tepper said Katie Vamosi, Katie Davenport and Sarah Tetrault played well defensively for the Tigers.

Franklin, 5 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Franklin sophomore Annie Walsh netted a hat trick to help the Panthers land a 5-1 victory. Junior Maddie Hinckley opened the scoring with junior Kate Morse and freshman Erin Walsh each chipping in with two assists. Sophomore Cassi Ronan also had a goal and an assist. Franklin senior Sam Hertzberg had six saves –including two scintillating stops — to get the win in the cage.

Mansfield, 3 @ Milford, 1 – Final

King Philip, 2 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – King Philip’s Christina Hathaway scored a penalty stroke in the first half to give the Warriors the edge at the break. In the second half, with 11 minutes left, Nicole Connor scored from an assist from Alli Meehan to make it 2-0. KP put 30 shots on net but North Attleboro goalie Liz Morehouse had a strong game.

Golf
Foxboro, 172 @ Oliver Ames, 143 – Final – Brady Allbritton earned match medalist honors for Oliver Ames, carding a low round of 34. Mark Bissonette shot a 35 while Ryan McGarry and Matt Kelley each shot 37 on the day. Chad Bearce shot a 42 for Foxboro and Matt Tierney carded a 43.

Stoughton, 179 @ Canton, 154 – Final – Canton’s Tommy Dimock was the match medalist, shooting a match-low 34 on the day at Blue Hills Country Club. Jackson Maffeo added a 39 for the Bulldogs while Matt Martin shot 40 and Pat Duggan shot a 41. Brendan Campbell led Stoughton with a 41.

Franklin, 151 @ North Attleboro, 146 – Final

Taunton vs. New Bedford, 3:00

09/20/2016

Stoughton’s Offense Erupts In Win Over Milford

Stoughton boys soccer — Stoughton’s Loubensky Lucas avoids a challenge from Milford’s Zach Brown. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

STOUGHTON, Mass. – The Stoughton Black Knights have been itching to break out offensively. Through four games, the chances have been there but the finish has been missing.

That changed in a hurry on Tuesday afternoon as Stoughton netted the opening inside the first two minutes, doubled its lead before the halfway mark of the first half and added four more goals in the second half in 6-2 win over Milford.

Stoughton caught Milford off guard to start the game, with goalie Matt Gallagher’s clearance eventually bouncing into the area. Senior Jordan Asnes took a touch was given time and space, allowing him to despot his left footed shot into the net for a quick 1-0 lead, just 75 seconds in.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Asnes had another chance with a shot from the top of the 18 and Marco Antunes had his low cross picked off, both inside the first 10 minutes. Five minutes later, the Black Knights broke through. Antunes corner to the far post was batted around between multiple players before falling to the feet of Marcio Dos Santos inside the six and the junior made no mistake, using the outside of his right foot to find the back of the net.

Milford found the back of the net for the first time in the 35th minute. Left back Lucas Caetano delivered a through ball that Pedro Sampaio ran onto. Sampaio cut across the face of goal but was ruled to have been fouled before he could get a shot off, earning a penalty kick. Sampaio calmly finished, tucking his shot into the low left corner to make it 2-1 just before half.

“The boys were good today,” head coach Aaron Salter said. “But they didn’t react as well as they should have after conceding a goal because they were so on top of the game, it was sort of a bit of a shock. I told them at halftime what they had been doing was right, we just need to go back to how we were playing.”

Stoughton quickly found its groove again to start the second half. Inside the first three minutes, the Black Knights earned a corner that Antunes drove to the near post. Dos Santos had his bid stopped on a nice save from Luke Capobianco but Stoughton senior Loubensky Lucas pounced on the rebound to make it 3-1.

The Black Knights’ offense rolled from there. In the 50th minute, Lucas dropped one over the drop that Asnes took possession of inside the area and again finished at the back post for a 4-1 advantage.

Five minutes later, Goddy Fombe made a nice run from the back, finding Lucas, who used a class turn to get free and was taken down from behind, earning a penalty. Lucas took the penalty himself, going low to his right for a 5-1 lead.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Stoughton capped its scoring just one minute later in the 15th minute when a service bounced off a defender and Asnes hit it first time to complete the hat trick.

“It was nice to see the forwards show up for the game. The last couple of games, we’ve created chances but the ball hasn’t been hitting the net,” Salter said. “It was nice to see Jordan get a hat trick as well. And then Loubensky got two which I hope will kickstart him for the rest of the near and we can push on.”

Salter also had praise for Antunes, who was dominant in his spot on the right wing and was responsible in creating the majority of Stoughton’s chances.

“Marco was brilliant,” Salter said. “I talked with him before the games and told him ‘You’ve done the right things, but your final ball is something you’ve had to work on.’ We haven’t had much practice because of so many games but he’s obviously been working on it on his own. I always tell the boys to breath before they cross or shoot just to relax themselves.”

Milford grabbed a second goal in the 60th minute as Tiago Carvalho’s corner kick found an open Marcelo Panno in the area for a tap in.

“I don’t know if that goal really changed much,” Milford head coach Brian Edwards said of Stoughton’s early goal in the second half. “I think our performance, top to bottom, was forgettable at best and we have to move on. We just have to be better. You could tell from the beginning of the game until the end, we weren’t in it. It doesn’t matter who you play, if you play like that you’ll get embarrassed and that’s what happened.”

Salter is hoping this win can turn into more positive results going forward, saying, “The key thing today is the boys looked like they had fun. We haven’t had fun in any of our games this year so it was great to see them enjoying it with smiles on their faces.”

Stoughton boys soccer (2-3, 1-3) is back in action on Wednesday with a trip to Norwood. Milford (1-3, 1-3) will play in the opening game of a double header on Saturday at 5:00 at Canton.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

05/20/2016

Franklin’s Offense Keeps Rolling In Win Over Foxboro

FOXBORO, Mass. – Over the last seven games, trying to limit Franklin’s offense has arguably been the toughest challenge in the Hockomock League.

The Panthers have plated 51 runs in their current seven game win streak, an average of over seven per game, and got off to a hot start once again on Friday in a 6-2 win over Foxboro.

Franklin scored two runs in the top of the first and third innings and added single runs in the fourth and the fifth. Foxboro’s lone strike came in the bottom of the third inning.

“It’s always great when you can come out and put a couple runs up on the board early and I felt like we did a good job extending that lead,” Franklin head coach Zach Brown said. “To be complement that on defense, we had some shut down innings after we scored some runs, I thought that was important. Not to be ungrateful but I thought we could have been a little cleaner in terms of our execution.”

Franklin senior Nick Santucci was hit by a pitch in the game’s first at-bar and moved to third on a hit and run single through the right side from junior Jake Lyons. Ryan Hodgkins connected for an RBI single through the left side. A fielder’s choice forced Lyons out at third but Mike Skaza popped out to center for a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

Foxboro starter Colin Theoner limited the Panthers to just a single hit in the second inning but the Panthers’ offense cashed in again in the third. Hodgkins, Tyler Gomes and Josh Macchi drew consecutive walks to start the top of the third. Skaza grounded into a fielder’s choice but it was enough to bring Hodgkins across the plate and move Gomes over. Joe Corsi popped up for a sacrifice fly to bring in Gomes to make it 4-0.

The Warriors responded in the bottom half of the inning but weren’t able to pull even. Franklin starter Jake Noviello got the lead off man with one of his four strikeouts but issued a one out walk to Foxboro’s AJ Bubencik. After inducing a fly ball to center for an out, Jesse Galanti singled into right field for the team’s first hit. Darren Kelly then roped a two-out, two-run triple off a full count to cut the deficit in half.

A two-out single from Jake Lyons turned into a run in the fourth inning for the Panthers. Lyons stole second and Hodgkins connected for a ground ball into right field for a single. The ball eluded the right fielder though and Lyons rounded third and scampered in for a run to make it 5-2.

It looked like Foxboro’s offense was going to cash in for the second straight inning in the bottom of the fourth. After reaching on a fielder’s choice, sophomore Chad Bearce moved to third when Cam Feldman reached on an error. Bubencik connected at the next at-bat for what looked like would be an RBI single but Franklin’s Hodgkins dove in for the catch to keep the lead.

“During this stretch, we’ve been playing well defensively and doing a good job of making all the routine plays,” Brown said. “Honestly, Ryan making that play, that wasn’t a routine play. That was a little bit above and beyond but it was a big spot for us in the game. We’ve been talking with Ryan about being more aggressive defensively recently, he’s a very gifted athlete. He had a good day offensively too and I think that carried over to his defense too.”

“With seven inning games, the momentum swings quickly and it’s definitely a factor, especially in high school baseball,” Foxboro head coach Chris Sullivan said. “I talked to our guys about creating it ourselves but we missed a lot of fast balls over the plate. It was a pretty stark contrast in terms of the energy that [Franklin] brought compared to us. We haven’t brought the same consistent approach every game and it’s impossible to win games in the Hockomock if you don’t do that, it’s hard enough if you do. We haven’t learned that lesson yet today.”

Two more walks to start the fifth inning helped Franklin add another run. Skaza and Corsi drew consecutive walks but a fielder’s choice forced Skaza out. A walk to Alex Bissanti loaded the bases for Franklin and Santucci cashed in with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-2.

“We preach a lot about balance and being able to be doing a bunch of different things,” Brown said. “We don’t want to be identified as a team that just does ‘blank.’ Instead we like to think we can do a bunch of different things and I think we did that today.”

Noviello earned the win for the Panthers, tossing 4.2 innings with two earned runs allowed. Franklin lefty Ryan Morse came in to get the final out of the fifth inning and pitched two shutout innings to close the game.

“Jake came in and did a good job. He labored a bit towards the end but then we turned it over to Ryan. Ryan did a great job nailing it down for us and getting some big outs in some big spots.”

Thoener, who was making his first start of the season after dealing with injuries, pitched five innings while Andrew Block pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh for the Warriors.

“We didn’t play bad today, we didn’t boot the ball around on defense,” Sullivan added. “We didn’t expect Colin to throw a shutout in his first start of the year but we’re just not stepping it up offensively when we need to. The difference was that they barreled up a few more balls than we did. When they needed a hit, they got one. We played okay today but you can’t play just okay against a team like Franklin.”

Franklin improves to 12-7 overall and 10-5 in league play. The Panthers will conclude league play on Monday when they host King Philip. Foxboro falls to 7-10 overall and 5-9 in the league. The Warriors will travel to Oliver Ames on Monday before hosting North Attleboro on Tuesday.

Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.

05/07/2016

Panthers Pounce Early, Hold Off Late Milford Push

MILFORD, Mass. – After being shutout in its previous two games, Franklin wasted little time in finding offense on Saturday, plating seven runs in the first inning on the way to a 9-6 win over Milford.

The Panthers were shutout twice in a three day span but it took just two at bats for Franklin to score a run in the top of the first inning against the Scarlet Hawks. In total, the Panthers batted around in the first, sending 12 to the plate and using six hits to score seven runs.

“I do believe we have a good offensive baseball team and it was only a matter of time,” Franklin coach Zach Brown said. “The guys have been really diligent and working hard in the cages. I told them after the last game that being shutout two times in a row is kind of an anomaly for this group and that we were playing really clean baseball and getting good pitching. I felt if that continued, the wins would follow.”

Franklin senior Nick Santucci battled his way to a lead off walk and junior Jake Lyons belted an RBI triple on the third pitch he saw to go up 1-0. Ryan Hodgkins followed with a walk to put runners on the corners and catcher Tyler Gomes followed it up with a two run single. After a single from Josh Macchi and a walk to Brad Jarosz loaded the bases, Milford got their second out on a force at home. Alex Bissanti scored Macchi with a single and kept the bases loaded for Santucci, who ripped a two run single. Lyons picked up his second RBI of the inning in his second appearance at the plate with a single to score Bissanti.

“We just needed to have that one run and everybody kind of loosened up and started to hit,” Brown said.

The Panthers extended their lead two innings later in the top of the third inning. A lead off double from Mike Skaza put Franklin in good position. Bissanti’s sac bunt pushed Skaza to third and Santucci notched his third RBI of the game with his second hit of the game to make it 8-0.

Milford was able to chip into the deficit in the bottom of the inning though. After two near perfect innings from Franklin’s Skaza on the mound, a one out walk to Brian Ireland preceded Milford’s first hit, a single from lead off man Chris Speroni. Freshman Alex Coady batted his way to a walk to load the bases for sophomore Aidan Wilde. Wilde ripped the third pitch he saw into deep left center, clearing the bases to make it 8-3.

It didn’t take long for Franklin to respond, adding another run in the top of the fourth inning. Gomes led off with his second hit of the game – a double – and moved to third on a sac bunt from Joe Corsi to batters later. Jarosz grounded into a 6-3 out but it was enough to score Gomes from third to make it 9-3.

The Scarlet Hawks kept themselves in reach by adding two more runs in the fifth inning. Speroni’s fly ball down the left field line fell in and a walk to Coady put two on with no outs. Wilde knocked in his fourth run of the game with a hard his ball to score Speroni. Blake Hill then blasted a shot to right field, hitting a tree just inside the fence at Fino Field for an RBI triple.

Those two runs proved to be very helpful as the Scarlet Hawks put themselves in a position to complete the comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Speroni was the catalyst again, leading off with a single down the right field line and once again, Coady followed up with a walk. Wilde drew a walk on a full count to load the bases, bringing the tying run to the plate with no outs. Santucci, who took over for senior Ryan Morse on the mound after Morse was perfect in relief in the sixth inning, was able to get out of the jam.

First, Santucci induced a tough pop up in foul territory from Hill that was caught nicely by Macchi. A ground ball to second from Anthony Arcudi drove in one run but got the second out. Santucci then induced a line drive right at Macchi down the line for the third out and the save.

“The pop fly in foul grounds was the toughest of the plays and he did a great job,” Brown said. “[Josh] was actually under the weather today and were going back and forth on if he was going to play or not. But he was really he wanted to be out there and it worked out for us that he was.”

Skaza earned the win, scattering six hits with three strikeouts. Morse threw a scoreless sixth inning, needing just 11 pitches and Santucci got the save after allowing one run in the seventh.

“You can’t give up seven runs in the first inning, that’s for sure,” Milford head coach Paul Pellegrini said. “I give [Franklin] credit, they hit the pitches they should have. When you get behind batters, you tend to build confidence as a hitter and they did. Aidan [Wilde] left the ball up some and they took advantage of it. And we also had a couple of chances I thought to get out earlier in the inning and we just didn’t make the plays. It’s baseball and it happens.”

Milford turned to lefty Tylor Renaud after the first inning and the junior was very solid in relief, going six innings with just two runs surrendered. Renaud struck out six batters, issued three walks and allowed just three hits.

“Tylor loves the game, I wish I had 20 more of him on the team,” Pellegrini said. “For his size, he brings a lot to the table. He did a good job, he kept them off balance and did what I expect of him.”

For Franklin, Santucci led the Panthers with three RBI while Lyons and Gomes each knocked in a pair.

“Those guys have been pretty consistent throughout the course of the year,” Brown said. “Unfortunately we hadn’t been hitting a lot with runners in scoring position but it was good to see us get the line moving today and hopefully we can build off of it.”

Franklin baseball moves to 6-7 overall on the season and 5-5 in Hockomock play. The Panthers will try to make it two in a row when they host Attleboro on Monday. Milford drops to 3-9 overall, 3-8 in the league and will travel to Sharon on Monday.

Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.