No. 2 Franklin Regional softball overcomes sluggish start, finishes sweep of Latrobe

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | 8:17 PM

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Chloe Lancaster threw 27 pitches in the first inning Tuesday and gave up two runs in the second.

It had the makings of a long afternoon. The situation even prompted movement in the Franklin Regional bullpen, which caught Lancaster’s attention.

But the Panthers ace didn’t panic or get flustered.

“I just tried to focus, and we started hitting,” she said. “I didn’t want to get pulled.”

Lancaster settled in to pitch a complete game, and the second-ranked Panthers rallied to give her run support on the way to a 6-2 victory over visiting Latrobe in Section 2-5A softball.

“When one of us gets a hit and gets it started, everybody gains confidence,” said Lancaster, who allowed six hits, none between the second and seventh innings, struck out three and walked three to improve to 5-2. “I knew our new lineup would help us.”

Lancaster also was effective at the plate. She and Toryn Fulton, Ciara Camacho, Ceana Copeland and Ava Rhoten each had two hits in a revamped batting order for Franklin Regional (11-3, 7-1), which began the day a game out of first place. The Panthers have have won 10 of 11 and earned a two-game sweep of third-place Latrobe (8-5, 5-3), which had won three straight and four of five.

The Panthers scored six unanswered runs, three in the fifth when they strung together five straight hits.

A two-run deficit turned into a four-run advantage, so Armstrong and pitching coach Maddie Uschock did not need to call on reliever Mia Martz.

That boosted Lancaster’s confidence.

“Once we got up, Chloe had a little cushion,” Franklin Regional coach Jim Armstrong said. “She was on a high. She also had a couple of big hits for us. I gave her the game ball.”

Armstrong moved Copeland to the leadoff spot, put Camacho at cleanup, moved Adrianna Martz to the No. 2 spot and Lancaster hit fifth.

“We moved some things around,” Armstrong said. “We took some people who we thought would help us and put them in the right spots. Plus, they had to pitch to Toryn. Ciara is killing the ball right now.”

Latrobe put up two runs in the second, one via error and another on an RBI single by Natalia Scekeres.

But Lancaster retired 13 of the next 14 hitters while the Panthers came to life offensively.

Copeland drove in Celina Camacho with a single in the third, and the Panthers tied it 2-2 in the fourth. Ciara Camacho tripled off the top of the fence in center and scored on Lancaster’s single.

In the fifth, the Panthers took the lead for good with a two-out rally.

Martz doubled, and Fulton drove her in with a single to shallow right. Fulton, who was not walked intentionally, stole second and third, then scored on Camacho’s bloop infield single that dropped near third to make it 4-2.

Camacho stole second and scored on Lancaster’s single for the fifth run.

After Fulton snared a rising line drive off the bat of Marisa Munchinski to end the Wildcats’ sixth, she ripped an RBI single to score Copeland for a 6-2 advantage.

Fulton and Lancaster each had two RBIs.

“(Lancaster) got into a rhythm, and we had way too many flyouts,” Latrobe coach Bob Kovalcin said. “They hit ropes, and we hit lazy fly balls. They hit the ball better than we did.”

Martz had a busy afternoon in center field with eight putouts. She turned a double play after a catch and laser throw to third in the second, and she made a diving grab in the third.

Martz recorded the final out on a flyout by losing pitcher Mya McHugh with two on in the seventh.

Camacho moved from catcher to second base to secure the middle of the infield. She and Fulton turned a 6-4-3 double play in the fourth.

“A lot more good came from Ciara at second,” Armstrong said. “With her and Toryn, we know there isn’t too much getting through.”

Rhoten doubled twice but was left stranded both times.

Scekeres had two hits for the Wildcats.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Latrobe