Offense has been a strong suit of Franklin County’s baseball team this season with the Flyers outscoring their opponents 109-64 through their first 15 games.
FCHS kept that going Monday, beating Western Hills 10-0 in five innings at WHHS.
“That was a good, old-fashioned butt whooping,” WHHS coach Seth Knight said. “They’ve swung the bat well all season, and they go up to attack the ball.
“That’s the difference between their team and our team,” he added. “They go up intending to knock the cover off the ball and we don’t.”
The Flyers (11-5) started doing that in the second inning when they put four runs on the board.
They added four more runs in the third and two in the fourth to end the game on the mercy rule.
Western Hills (8-6) was held to two hits – a single by Zack Brown in the second inning and a single by Ryan Barrass in the fourth.
“Brandon pitched a great game,” FCHS coach Deron McDonald said of Brandon mither, who pitched a complete game for the win.
“His location was good, he didn’t try to overthrow, he mixed his pitches up. He threw where we asked him to throw it, and he was very successful.”
FCHS led off the second inning with back-to-back singles from Logan Crum and Nick Cumpston. After a pop-up for one out, Quenton Brownlee laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners.
With first base open WHHS elected to intentionally walk Zach Arnold to load the bases.
Conner Brown came through for the Flyers, lining a single up the middle to score two runs, and Eric Meyer followed with a base hit that brought home two more runs.
A fly ball ended the inning.
Crum led off the third with a double, and David Current dropped in a one-out double in shallow right field that sent Crum to third.
Both runners scored on a triple by Brownlee. Arnold drew another walk, and Brown reached on an error to score a run. The fourth run of the inning plated on a sacrifice fly by Meyer.
The Flyers closed out the scoring in the fourth. After two strikeouts to start the inning, Tyne Nickel and Brownlee both singled and they scored on a base hit by Arnold.
While FCHS pounded out 12 hits, it was more than their offense that won the game.
“We played really good defense behind Brandon,” McDonald said. “Logan (Woodside) had three awesome plays at first, and Eric had the play on the ball up the middle to get the force at second.
“We ran the bases well, no indecision,” he added. “We did a good job.”
FCHS’ hits were a triple and single from Brownlee, a double and single from Crum, two singles apiece from Arnold and Meyer, a double from Current, and a single apiece from Cumpston, Brown and Nickel.
WHHS used four pitchers in the game – Zack Barker started, and Dylan Manley, Kyle Fisher and Devon Rowland all pitched in relief.
Both teams continue district play today. WHHS plays at Frankfort High, and the Flyers host Woodford County.
“I’m a little disappointed in some of our guys,” Knight said. “There was a little bit of quit, and we’ll address that and go from there.
“Tomorrow is another day, another ballgame, and we have to see if we can bounce back and play better.
“This was an eye-opening experience for them, I hope.”
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