Westmoreland County high school baseball notebook: Franklin Regional sends scoreboards spinning

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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Six games into a season is a small sample size in which to evaluate a WPIAL baseball team, but based on what Franklin Regional has done in that space, it is probably a safe bet that the Panthers will continue to spray the ball around the park.

The Panthers (5-1) collectively had a .378 batting average and were averaging 11.3 runs – the highest-scoring team in Class 5A – heading into a two-game Section 1-5A series against Kiski Area.

“Our entire lineup’s approach at the plate has been consistent, looking to drive baseballs early in the count and being unselfish with two strikes,” Panthers coach Bobby Saddler said. “The boys seem to feed off each other and the momentum that they build during an inning and throughout the game.”

The Panthers have scored 10 or more runs four times, including back-to-back 18-run games against Penn Hills.

A 3-0 road trip to Florida was a momentum builder for a team with offensive pop.

“We knew that there was a lot of talent returning from last year’s team, and the players worked extremely hard this offseason,” Saddler said. “We were excited to compete in Florida and got off to a good start.”

Saddler said the players set team goals over personal goals.

“We have a strong group of seniors who provide leadership every day to ensure we are giving ourselves the best chance to achieve those goals,” the coach said.

Franklin Regional has eight seniors, including key contributors NJ Ramchandran (.600), Brady Yarabinitz (5 doubles, 14 RBI), Chase Lemke (.524, 11 runs) and Jonah Willochell (1.17 ERA).

Junior Luke Williams (10 runs) and sophomore Anthony Mitchell (.435) also have had big games.

Mighty Leps

Speaking of high-scoring teams, unbeaten Belle Vernon has one.

The Leopards (4-0) have scored 10 or more runs in every game with totals of 14, 12, 11 and 10.

They have outscored their opponents 47-8.

They were hitting .447 as a team, while the pitching staff, led by ace Parker Lind, did not allowed an earned run in its first 18 innings.

Into the blue

There was a strange ending last week to the Derry at Mt. Pleasant game.

An umpire was involved, but it had nothing to do with a controversial call.

With the game tied 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh, Mt. Pleasant loaded the bases with two outs.

Levi Hixon hit a sharp grounder toward short, but before Derry could field the ball, it hit an umpire, allowing the winning run to score. The Vikings walked it off, 8-7.

Mound of mountain?

Greensburg Salem was on the wrong end of a no-hitter Monday and the Golden Lions lost to an opposing pitcher.

Knoch won 7-0 behind a pitcher with the same roster specs. Seven-footer Zane Pacek shut them down behind a solid defense, He struck out four.

Roll Vikes

Mt. Pleasant ran its winning streak to four with a its third double-digit run total of the season, thumping Deer Lakes, 11-1, in their Section 3-3A opener.

Dane Firmstone had three hits, including a double, and Connor Drzal drove in four. Jacob Kitz also doubled and was the winning pitcher.

The Vikings might looks like a .500 team by the numbers – 45 runs scored, 45 allowed – but they were 4-2 through Monday.

Section showdown

The best section series to watch next week could be in Section 1-5A. Penn-Trafford will host Plum on Monday, then the teams will flip sites Tuesday with a finale at Plum.

Both teams were 2-0 and tied with Franklin Regional for the section lead.

Schedule change

The third game of the Section 2-6A series between Hempfield and Norwin was moved back a day and will now be played at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Norwin.

The change is due to a greater chance for inclement weather on Thursday.

Schedule change II

Norwin will get a chance to play at the site of the WPIAL championships.

Canon-McMillan will welcome the Knights for a 7 p.m. start April 10 at EQT Park, the home of the Washington Wild Things.

The park recently was renamed with a new sponsor.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Mt. Pleasant