Baseball drubs Port Gibson, Enterprise

Franklin County’s varsity baseball team collected 27 hits in a pair of contests last week – including a 25-1 thrashing of 7-3A district foe Port Gibson on the road Friday, March 25 and a 16-3 drubbing of Enterprise at home on Saturday, March 26.

The wins boosted Franklin County to 8-2-1 on the 2022 baseball season while the Diamond Dawgs sport a 1-0 district record following the team’s spring break hiatus.

FC 25, PORT GIBSON 1

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first three innings of play against the Blue Waves and exploded for 18 runs in the top of the fourth before Port Gibson scored a cosmetic run in the bottom of the fourth to set the final margin in the contest.

The teams combined for seven errors with five of those committed by the Blue Waves.

FC’s Quez Rancifer had one of his best nights of the season – with a team high six RBIs on a 2-for-4 plate performance that included a three-run home run in the top of the fourth, three runs scored and advancing after being hit by a pitch.

Terrance Fields had a 3-for-4 night with a double, three runs scored and a pair of RBIs while Ridge Clanton, who worked four innings on the mound, was 2-for-2 with three runs scored, a double, a sacrifice, two walks and two RBIs in his at bats.

Dalton Meadows, Noah McCormick and Larry Pernell all went 2-for-4 against Port Gibson with Meadows and McCormick both collecting three runs apiece and Pernell crossing home plate twice.

Meadows, who stroked a double, finished with four RBIs, one walk and two strikeouts with McCormick hit by a pitch and credited with an RBI and a strikeout. Pernell also had four RBIs in the contest.

Dakota Chisholm went 1-for-2 with a double along with a sacrifice, an RBI and a walk.

Dawson Halford had a 1-for-1 at-bat performance and scored a run while Donavon Moore — despite being 0-for-2 at the plate — scored three runs and accounted for three walks.

Jamari Tolliver drew a walk, had a sacrifice, was hit by a pitch twice and scored three runs and JaMarlin Green, who came in as courtesy runner, scored once for the Bulldogs.

In addition, Fields, McCormick, Moore and Rancifer all reached base on Port Gibson errors.

The Bulldogs had eight stolen bases against the Blue Waves with Halford leading the team with two while Clanton, Green, McCormick, Meadows, Moore and Tolliver had one each.

FC left six base runners stranded in the game.

Clanton threw a total of 52 pitches for Franklin County from the mound and struck out five while surrendering one run and one hit. His pitches-to-strikes percentage was 76.9.

FC 16, ENTERPRISE 3

What initially was a see-saw battle for the lead in the first two innings of play turned into a Franklin County rout of the visiting Yellowjackets thanks to a nine-run scoring spurt in the third inning on Saturday at The Swamp.

FC jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first before Enterprise plated three in the top of the second.

In the later half of the second stanza, the Diamond Dogs regained the momentum with five runs for a 7-3 advantage.

Five Franklin batters had multiple hits in the game with Moore setting the tempo by going 3-for-3 with three runs scored, four RBIS and a walk.

Meadows, McCormick and Rancifer were each 2-for-3 with Meadows clubbing a double, scoring one run and bringing home three. McCormick scored a run and collected an RBI while Rancifer plated twice and accounted for two RBIs.

Clanton was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI while Pernell was 1-for-2 with two runs scored, one RBI and one walk.

Fields finished 0-for-2 with a run scored, a walk and a strikeout.

Tolliver and Halford both walked once for the Bulldogs while Green, as courtesy runner, plated twice and Peyton Hebert scored one run.

Chisholm, Clanton, Meadows and Rancifer all reached on errors during the contest with Tolliver hit by a pitch and Green pacing the team with a pair of stolen bases.

The team, as a whole, connected on 12 hits and left four base runners stranded.

Eleven errors were committed in the game with nine of those attributed to the Yellowjackets.

Tolliver worked three innings from the mound for FC with 53 pitches thrown against Enterprise. He struck out four, gave up four hits and three runs – one of those earned – and hit two batters. His pitch-to-strike ratio was 66 percent.

Meadows worked one inning and threw 17 pitches for the Dawgs – walking one and striking out three Yellowjacket batters. His pitch-to-strike percentage was 65.7.

The Bulldogs are slated to host Jefferson County at The Swamp in a district doubleheader on Friday, April 1. First-pitch times are set for 5 and 7 p.m.