PITSBURG – Even though Franklin Monroe was out-hit 11 to four by Mississinawa Valley on Tuesday, the Jets found a way to win 6-3 in the Cross County Conference baseball game.
While Mississinawa Valley was able to get runners on base, the Blackhawks stranded 10 of them in Tuesday’s game. Franklin Monroe, meanwhile, was able to get some big hits while also limiting the damage MV was able to do on the base paths.
“We had some guys with some clutch hits at some clutch times,” Franklin Monroe baseball coach Edward Meyers said. “We played pretty well. We had a couple errors in the field, but they’re fixable errors. Guys came out and hit, and Tim Lawson on the mound today threw a hell of a game for us, six innings strong.”
MV helped out Franklin Monroe by hitting two batters and walking four. The Blackhawks also committed two errors.
“Basically I came down here with my No. 1 and 2 pitcher, and they were both fresh, and they guy that I started, I don’t know, sometime here in the second inning I guess his shoulder started hurting,” Mississinawa Valley baseball coach Max Guillozet said. “He was struggling a little bit throwing strikes and he would hit a batter. Then I brought in Trent Collins and he pitched well.”
Collins pitched four innings in relief for Mississinawa Valley, allowing two earned runs and one unearned run on two hits, two walks and two strikeouts. Matthew Slob pitched two innings and allowed three earned runs on two hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
Lawson pitched nine innings for Franklin Monroe, allowing three earned runs on nine hits, two walks and one strikeout. Bryce Filbrun pitched a scoreless inning in relief, allowing two hits and striking out three.
Franklin Monroe’s defense committed two errors, but overall played well behind Lawson and Filbrun.
“Defense played real well today,” Meyers said. ‘They made the plays that mattered when it mattered most. We had a couple guys lay out in the infield, keep the ball in the infield, helped save a couple runs.”
Trevor Collins led Franklin Monroe offensively by going 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run. Altic was 1-for-3 with a run and two RBI. Logan Ressler was 1-for-3 and scored a run. Jeremy Bridenbaugh, Filbrun and Noah Koffer each drove in runs while Zach Cable, Mason Conley and Cade McGlinch each scored a run.
“We’re pretty good,” Meyers said. “We’re going to be all right. We’re just now getting out of the tougher part of our schedule. We’ve had a lot of tough non-conference games so it’s helped us out for the league this year so we’re going to be all right. We’re now 4-2 in the league, and we’re starting to make a little bit of a run at it.”
Mississinawa Valley’s Zac Longfellow went 3-for-4 and scored a run. Cameron Shimp was 2-for-3 and scored a run. Ethan Dirksen was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Andrew Johns was 2-for-4 with a RBI. Daniel Wogoman went 1-for-2 and scored a run. Kyler Guillozet was 1-for-2.
“Just missed opportunities,” Coach Guillozet said. “We had the bases loaded a couple times. Just the way it goes. And I think a big part of that is being young. I take the positives of the young talent that we have on this team. The next two or three years they’re only going to get better.
“I’ve got a good group of kids, and the thing is they’re all young. You look at there on the field I’ve got one senior playing first base, I’ve got one junior playing right field, and everybody else is a freshman or sophomore. So it’s a work in progress.”
Mississinawa Valley is off until Saturday, and Coach Guillozet hopes the break will help the Blackhawks get recharged and ready for a strong finish to the season.
“Hopefully we come back from a three-day break, maybe we can make a little run to the end of the season,” he said.
