Oilers fare well at Big Red Invite

Bryson Watson was one of four Franklin boys track and field athletes to win an event, setting a school record in the process, as the Knights claimed the team title of their own invitational on Saturday.

Zach Love went the distance on the mound to earn the win while Charlie Motter cracked a solo home run as Oil City pulled out a 2-1 win over visiting Erie High on Friday in non-region baseball action.

Franklin’s top four hitters — Jillian Ewing, Kirsten Hicks, Rilee Hanna and Abby Boland — combined to go 8-for-14 at the plate with seven runs scored and five RBIs as the Knights earned a season sweep over visiting Grove City following Thursday’s 12-2, six-inning victory in Region 4 softball…

Justen Dunkle and Charlie Motter combined to go 5-for-7 at the plate with three runs scored and two RBIs with Motter also earning the win on the mound as Oil City avenged an earlier loss to visiting Slippery Rock with an 8-4 decision on Wednesday in Region 2 baseball action.

Conner Ritchey collected a double-double of 14 service points and 13 assists to go with two digs, but it wasn’t enough as homestanding Rocky Grove lost in four sets to Cochranton, 25-15, 18-25, 25-16, 25-16, on Wednesday night in Region 1 boys volleyball action at the Nest.

TITUSVILLE — Franklin’s Jillian Ewing led an 18-hit attack with four singles Tuesday afternoon as the Knights pulled out another one-run thriller with a 12-11 comeback victory over homestanding Titusville in a Region 4 softball matchup.

ERIE — Andrew Schwab recorded a double-double of 17 points and 16 digs as Rocky Grove proved to be too much for homestanding Cathedral Prep with a 25-12, 25-12, 25-12 sweep on Tuesday night in a Region 1 boys volleyball matchup.

Over the last four years, Franklin’s boys basketball team has re-established its reputation as one of the top programs in the state.

Ethen Knox was a four-event winner while Madi Garland was a double winner as the Oil City boys and girls track and field teams swept visiting Titusville on Tuesday in a Region 3 dual meet.

Abby Boland homered, doubled and drove in three runs as Franklin went on the road and rolled past Oil City, 20-2, in a four-inning Region 4 softball contest on Monday.

As the pressure mounted and the nerves were tingling, Oil City first-year baseball coach Dan Staub knew he had an ace up his sleeve during the seventh inning of Monday’s Region 2 road game against arch-rival Franklin.

Rilee Hanna and Kirsten Hicks went a combined 6-for-8 at the plate with four doubles and four RBIs, but it was enough for homestanding Franklin as the Knights dropped an 11-5 decision to Slippery Rock on Saturday in Region 4 softball action.

Charlie Motter homered, drove in a pair of runs and also earned the mound win with three solid innings in relief on Friday as Oil City rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning to record a 10-8 home win over Sharon in Region 2 baseball action.

Reyna Watson went 3-for-3 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI while Rylee Coe pitched five innings in relief to earn the win as Cranberry toppled visiting Forest Area by a 6-2 score on Thursday in a Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference girls softball matchup.

Through the first six innings of Wednesday’s baseball matchup with Region 2 leader Grove City, Oil City looked to be well on its way to notching a key victory in league play as the Oilers held a 1-0 lead.

Miranda Biles went 5-for-6 at the plate with two doubles and three RBIs and she also went the distance in the pitcher’s circle as Jamestown outlasted homestanding Franklin, 16-15, in nine innings in a Region 4 girls softball matchup.

YOUNGSVILLE — Rocky Grove’s Kaylin Jacoby had an inside-the-park home run, Ashlyn Tucker and Emily Rice drilled three hits each and Jillian Cratty and Elizabeth Mawhinney combined on a three-hitter as the Orioles downed homestanding Youngsville, 9-3 in a Region 2 softball contest on Tuesday.

Cranberry’s Eliana Wry and Kelsey Hanna were triple winners on Tuesday, but the Berries dropped a 91-59 decision at home to Titusville in a non-conference girls track and field meet. The Rockets also took the boys meet, 102-48 to complete the sweep.

Franklin senior Jalen Wood was named the District 10 Region 6 boys basketball player of the year as the all-region teams for the 2023024 season were announced late Monday evening.

Oil City’s Will McMahon starred on the mound and at the plate on Monday as the Oilers cruised to a 9-0 home win over Conneaut Area in Region 2 baseball action.

Sam Wimer brought home Drew Kockler with the winning run on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the ninth inning and Zach Boland pitched two strong innings of relief to earn the mound win as Franklin outlasted visiting Conneaut Area, 3-2, on Saturday in Region 2 baseball action.

GUYS MILLS — Dylan Brown served for 26 points, which included four aces, and notched six kills as Rocky Grove’s boys volleyball team swept homestanding Maplewood by scores of 25-20, 25-15, 25-13, on Thursday night in Region 1 play.

Bryson Watson, Easton Adamczyk, Landon Lynch, Olivia Rondinelli and Isabel Griffen each were double winners, but it wasn’t enough to lift the Franklin boys and girls track and field teams to victory as visiting Slippery Rock came away with a sweep following Thursday’s non-region dual meet.

HERMITAGE — Oil City’s Charlie Motter drilled three hits, including a double, and also pitched five innings of relief to earn the win as the Oilers outslugged homestanding Hickory on Wednesday, 16-12 in a Region 2 baseball thriller.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt University freshman Luke Guth, a 2023 graduate of Franklin High School, made a sparkling collegiate debut for the Commodores during a 14-1 seven-inning home win on Tuesday against Middle Tennessee.

TITUSVILLE — Will McMahon and Jacob Teeter combined on a six-hitter and Hank Lockhart blasted a home run Tuesday as Oil City held on for a 5-3 road win over Titusville in Region 3 baseball action.

Rocky Grove’s boys volleyball team improved to 2-0 on the young season with a sweep of Farrell at the Nest on Tuesday night, using scores of 25-18, 25-14, 25-9 to cruise in the Region 1 showdown.

De’Vaughn Griffin was a four-time winner as the Oil City boys track and field team opened its season with a resounding 109-41 victory over visiting Meadville on Tuesday night in a Region 3 dual meet. The Bulldogs earned a split with a 91-59 verdict in the girls meet.

Michaela Hays, a Westminster College graduate and the daughter of a former Rocky Grove athlete, will have a front-row seat at the press table for the NCAA Women’s Final Four basketball tournament being held this weekend at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

Joshua Stevenson and Dylan Brown served for 19 points apiece as Rocky Grove’s boys volleyball team opened its season with a 20-25, 25-9, 25-21, 26-24 victory over visiting Conneaut Area in Region 1 action on Thursday night at the Nest.

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) reminds anglers that the statewide Opening Day of Trout Season is this Saturday. Anglers may begin fishing at 8 a.m.