PITSBURG – The Franklin Monroe Jets dropped out of OHSAA Division VII tournament play with a 10-0 loss to the Cedarville Indians varsity baseball team.
“Today wasn’t the outcome we wanted,” said FM coach Tyler Zimmerman. “Cedarville played a great game. Their guy on the mound threw very well, but I’m proud of the way our boys persevered and kept their heads up this season, and kept battling.”
Franklin Monroe seniors playing their final varsity baseball game for the Jets included No. 8 Ty Riffle, No. 14 Chase Stebbins, No. 17 Matthew Hurley, and No. 22 Parker Patrick.
“A great group of four guys on and off the field,” Coach Zimmerman stated. “Watching them grow from a pretty small bunch and then hit the weight room and worked hard. Beyond baseball, I know all four will go on to do great things in life, and I couldn’t be more proud of what they have accomplished both on and off the field these four years.”
The higher-seeded Jets earned the right to host the tournament game on a rain-soaked night that had Franklin Monroe and Cedarville each with four hits over the six innings played.
The difference in the game came down to walks and errors, with the Jets committing 7 errors and issuing nine walks, while Cedarville had two errors and gave up six walks.
The weather made for a rough start with rain falling through the opening three innings as Cedarville dented the board for six third-inning runs, all coming with two outs, taking advantage of five errors, two walks, a wild pitch, and a single.
Franklin Monroe’s Chase Stebbins, Braden Gilbert, Matthew Byram, and Brandt Filbrun each accounted for a Jets single.
Franklin Monroe closes out the 2025 season with a 12-13 season and 8-3 in the WOAC.
“It’s a privilege to coach these kids, and I don’t take that for granted,” Zimmerman said following the game. “Today was not the outcome we wanted, but they should be proud of the way they played this season. They competed day in and day out through the ups and downs and did a good job responding to adversity when adversity came.”
BOX SCORE
123 456 7 R H E
116 002 X 10 4 2 Cedarville
000 000 X 0 4 7 Franklin Monroe
