SLIDELL — Franklinton committed five errors and Northshore scored four unearned runs in the Demons’ 4-0 loss to the Panthers on a chilly, windy opening night on the road Monday.
Franklinton pitcher Garrett Maxwell was solid all game. He allowed two unearned runs on just two hits with five strikeouts and three walks over five-plus innings of work.
“You can’t say enough about Garrett’s start. He had a great start. Gave up (two) hits,” Franklinton coach Jeff Tageant said. “We give up four runs total and two of the runs get on base by a walk and two get on base by error, so that’s their four runs. This was a very good team we played and we felt like we played good enough to win.
“Offensively, we struggled a little bit. I just felt like we need to be a little bit more competitive. This team was very good last year, very good this year and we’ve got to be a little tougher, a little more confident when we come into a game like this.”
Northshore scored a run in the third inning and three in the sixth.
T.J. Salvaggio began the third by reaching on a throwing error. Preston Ratliff singled to left on a hit-and-run. Both moved up on Logan Doody’s sacrifice bunt and Salvaggio scored on Christian Garcia’s sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.
Garcia walked to open the sixth and went to second on a throwing error in a rundown from a pickoff play. Brayden Jobert grounded out to second, advancing Garcia to third. Garcia ended up scoring on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Branyan Bounds walked. He got caught in a rundown on a pickoff play, but made it to second. After the second out, Andrew Landry reached on an error, pinch runner Ian Fontenot scored and Landry went to second on a fielding miscue for a 3-0 game. Landry stole third and later scored on Salvaggio’s RBI single for the game’s final run.
Franklinton’s best chance to score came in the second when the Demons had two runners on with two outs, but were unable to score.
Franklinton had two hits, with Jordan McKenzie and Hunter Blackwell having one each.
Northshore starter Jeremy Martin allowed two hits over five innings with seven strikeouts, no walks and a hit batter.
Ratliff had two hits for the Panthers and Salvaggio had one hit and an RBI.
Garcia recorded an RBI.