Diamond Dawgs pummel Natchez, 11-1

Franklin County High School’s varsity baseball team opened its post-spring break slate of games with an 11-1 win over visiting Natchez on Monday, March 21 at The Swamp.

Offensively, the Bulldogs collected eight hits — including a pair of doubles and triples — with the home team scoring in four of the game’s five mercy- rule-shortened innings.

The victory improved FC’s season mark to 6-2-1 overall.

Franklin spotted Natchez its only run in the top of the first inning after the initial batter drew a walk and stole three bags to come home.

From there, the contest belonged to the Bulldogs with FC responding by scoring a trio of runs in the bottom half of the frame.

Donovan Moore, Dalton Meadows and Noah McCormick started things off by reaching on walks.

Moore plated Franklin’s first run by stealing home, Meadows accounted for another on a Natchez passed ball and McCormick put up a third score thanks to an RBI double by Terrance Fields.

The bottom of the second saw FC’s Jamari Tolliver taking four straight balls for a lead off walk and put himself in scoring position with a pair of steals.

Tolliver would score his team’s fourth run on a 2-2 count single by Moore to left.

Moore went on to steal two bags before Ridge Clanton earned a walk that saw the Bulldogs have runners on the corners with Meadows coming to the plate.

Facing an 0-1 count, Meadows lobbed a double to right that brought Moore home and sent Clanton to third.

From there, FC’s Quez Rancifer stroked a one-out single to right that plated Clanton and Meadows also scored afterwards to put the home team up by a 7-1 margin.

Fields and Larry Pernell both reached on walks in the bottom of the second to load the bags, but the trio — which included a Rancifer steal to make it to third and beat out a pick-off attempt — would ultimately be left stranded as Dakota Chisholm and Tolliver struck out swinging.

Franklin’s defense kept Natchez in check in the top of the third as the Bulldogs pulled off a double play to end the top of the stanza.

A one-out error led to Natchez getting a runner on base, but the visiting team grounded to Moore at short and his throw to McCormick at first was in time to pull off the bang-bang play.

In the latter half of the third, Moore — for the second time in the game — advanced on a lead-off walk and would steal second and third bases.

Meadows blasted a one-out triple to right that allowed Moore to score Franklin’s eighth run.

From there, McCormick singled to short allowing Meadows to come home and Rancifer drew a walk.

The duo, who would both steal bases in the series, was left stranded as Fields struck out swinging and Pernell flied out to right.

Franklin’s eight-run advantage would hold through the fourth inning as neither team scored in the frame.

That didn’t mean there would not be offensive fireworks as Moore clubbed a two-out triple in the bottom of the fourth.

Clanton would also follow-up with a walk before the tandem remained stranded on the bags when Meadows flied out to left to end the series.

Franklin County got the run support necessary to end the game in the bottom of the fifth as McCormick took four-straight balls for a walk.

Natchez opted for a late pitching change and FC’s JaMarlin Green came in as courtesy runner for McCormick.

Green advanced to second on a steal and Rancifer drew yet another Bulldogs walk.

The base runners moved into scoring position on dual steals of third and second, respectively, and both came home on a single to right by Fields.

Three Franklin County players combined for a pair of hits each in the outing — with Moore having a 2-for-2 night at the plate with a triple, three runs scored, an RBI and two walks.

Meadows had a 2-for-3 effort that resulted in a double and a triple, three runs, two RBIs and a walk to his credit.

Fields was also 2-for-3 with a double, a team-high three RBIs, a walk and a strikeout.

McCormick and Rancifer were both 1-for-2 in the hitting department with the duo scoring once each against Natchez and both having an RBI and two walks apiece.

Clanton, despite finishing 0-for-2 in his plate appearances, scored one run, walked twice and struck out once.

Tolliver was also 0-for-2 with a walk, a run and two strikeouts while Pernell was 0-for-1 with two walks.

Chisholm was 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

As a team, Franklin County accounted for a season-high 21 stolen bases against Natchez with Moore leading the way with seven while Rancifer and McCormick both had three apiece and Fields, Green, Meadows and Tolliver had two each.

In the end, the Bulldogs would leave nine runners stranded during the course of the contest.

Meadows, as FC’s lone pitcher in the game, went the distance and limited the visiting squad to one hit while striking out 11.

He threw a total of 78 pitches with a strike percentage of 62.8 percent.

Meadows gave up a run, which was earned, and wound up walking three Natchez batters.

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ON DECK

The Diamond Dawgs were next scheduled to face Port Gibson at home on Tuesday, March 22, but the threat of severe weather made the game doubtful at press time.

The Bulldogs are still slated to face the Blue Waves Friday, March 25 in Claiborne County — which could potentially become a double header if Tuesday’s game was cancelled due to weather.

At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., on Saturday, March 26, Franklin County will host Enterprise and will travel to face Natchez at 5 and 7 p.m., Monday, March 28 to wrap up the month.

Franklin County is slated to battle district foe Jefferson County on Friday, April 1 at home and will travel to Tylertown on Tuesday, April 5.