Franken, Pierce fuel Falcons’ rout of Spartans

By Greg Gulas | sports @vindy.com

BOARDMAN

On Monday, it took a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning by McKenzie Luknis to ensure a 6-5, Austintown Fitch victory over arch-rival Boardman.

On Tuesday at the Boardman High School Sports Complex, Alex Franken and Sierra Pierce made sure the game didn’t even go the distance.

Franken scattered four hits, added two safeties, scored a run and drove in another while Pierce laced three hits, scored a run and added three RBI’s as the Falcons stopped the Spartans for the second straight day, 10-0 in five-innings in All-American Conference, Red Tier action.

“We kept our energy up from yesterday and were really into today’s game,” Franken said. “My curve ball was working and that was the pitch that I depended on most. I also relied on my change-up as well. It’s an awesome feeling when you beat your arch-rival.”

The Falcons’ Maddie Everhart gave Fitch (7-5, 4-2) an early advantage when she doubled home Emily Haggerty in the second inning.

Pierce extended the lead to 3-0 in the same frame when she doubled home Carolina Spalding and Everhart.

“We came out today swinging our bats, which was a carryover from yesterday’s game. We feel like we have the players that are capable of putting runs on the board in a hurry, and that was the case today,” Pierce said. “Our defense has also been excellent as well. Playing behind Alex, we just know that she is going to keep the ball in play which gives us the opportunity to field the ball and make plays behind her.”

Franken, who scattered just three hits through the first four innings, led off the fifth frame with a single. She was the first of 11 batters to go to the plate.

Franken led the offensive onslaught with two singles, a runs scored and run batted in while Everhart, Haggerty, Pierce and Julia McMenamin also chipped in with run-scoring singles.

“It’s an amazing feeling to see our team grow because they understand what this rivalry means; it’s always Austintown-Boardman in any sport and in anything that we do so for us to come out, stay focused and attack the way we should, after pulling out a close one yesterday is an amazing feeling,” Falcons first-year head coach Steven Ward said. “Yesterday’s win gave us an edge; to see what we can do when we’re doing the things that we’re taught to do and the things we know how to do. When we stay in our strike zone we’re going to play with any team in the state.

“Alex is our most experienced player as a junior. We’re an extremely young team so her confidence and poise out on the mound just radiates throughout the team.”

Olivia Russell and Sydney Aey each doubled for Boardman (6-11, 2-5) with Lauren Pavlansky and Lauren Gabriele adding the other two safeties for the Spartans.

“Give Fitch credit because they hit the ball extremely hard. Every hit they had was just hard hit and there really isn’t too much you can do about that,” Boardman coach Mike Trell said. “Bottom line is they just hit the ball better than we did today.”