TURNER'S FALLS — Franklin Tech pitcher Hannah Gilbert hung on until the final six frames of Friday's game against Hopkins Academy after giving up a run in the first inning.
The junior allowed one hit and one walk in the first inning and one hit in the third inning, but those were the only base runners he allowed as Gilbert had 13 strikeouts and kept his team scoreless the rest of the way. Eagles win 7-1 in Franklin County League East.
With the win, Tech improves to 5-0 on the season and 3-0 in the FCL East.
“It was a good win,” Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache said. “Winning the league is always good. Hopkins is a different team than last year, but they have a lot of kids who can play and kids who play outside of the high school season. This was a quality win. It was windy. It wasn't the best batting day for either team, but both pitchers played well and we played some defense behind Hanna.
Lilly Elia walked to put Hopkins ahead, stole second, advanced to third base on a walk by Alena Bailey, and scored on a wild pitch to give Hopkins an early 1-0 lead.
The Eagles took the lead in the second. Kylie Gamache reached base with a single, Kyla Goodell reached on an error, and Cordelia Guerin singled to drive Gamache in before advancing. Lili Inman then grounded out to Goodell, giving Tech a 2-1 lead.
Franklin Tech took the lead in the third inning. Kate Trudeau and Lily Ross took the lead in singles, allowing Ross to take second after Hopkins tried to throw Trudeau off at third.
With two runners in scoring position, Gilbert stepped forward and delivered a hit, driving in Trudeau and Ross. Gamache then hit a base hit that hit Gilbert, who threw to second base for Ross. Guerin hit a double that drove in Gamache, giving the Eagles a 6-1 lead after three plays.
Bailey reached on an error to lead off Hopkins' fourth goal. She stole second base, but Gilbert finished the inning unscathed with two strikeouts and a grounder. This would be the last runner for the Golden Hawks, as Gilbert retired the last nine batters he faced.
Despite being in mid-April, it was still Hopkins' third game of the season (1-2), and head coach Lindsey Lord said her club has plenty of season left.
“Other than the third inning when Tech got some big hits, our defense held us in check,” Lord said. “We held it down and started to come back to life in the second half by putting the ball in play. It's only the third game. We'll keep working.”
Prime Minister Trudeau took the lead with a hit in the bottom of the fourth inning. The senior used his speed to steal second and third, and Gilbert drove the ball to deep center for a sacrifice fly, bringing home Trudeau and giving the Eagles a 7-1 lead.
Guerin added a double in the sixth inning and finished the game going 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs. Ross hit a base hit in the first inning, and Inman added a single in the third to round out Franklin Tech's 10 home runs of the day.
On this day, Bailey and Elia had two hits against Hopkins, and Elia got the lead with a base hit in the third. Cathy Dion had five strikeouts inside the circle for the Golden Hawks.
The Eagles will be back in action on Monday, traveling to Orange to take on Mahar in an FCL East matchup. Hopkins will be off until Tuesday, when he plays Wacona in Dalton.
