Franklin claims 3A State Championship with 7-4 win

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KBTX) - The Franklin Lions (35-5) won the Class 3A State Baseball Championship following a 7-4 win over Brock (35-4) Saturday Morning at Dell Diamond.

The Lions jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first and then added 3 more in the 7th to break a 4-all tie and cruise to their first ever state baseball title.

“It means a ton, especially being from Franklin,” said head coach Matthew Anderson. “We always fell short whenever I was in school. I always wanted to bring it back here. These kids, I can’t say enough about them. t’s all about them, they got it done today.”

A.J. Phillips had a pair of RBIs in the game, while Noah Tart went 2 for 3 at the plate and had another RBI after driving in three in the semifinals.

“It’s amazing to me. More importantly, these seniors get to go out with a bang with a win,” said Tart. “They’ve done everything for this program and and all of our success is credited to them.”

Josh Atomanczyk, the 3A Tournament Most Valuable Player, picked up the win in relief and wrapped up his senior season with a 10-0 record. He struck out 3 in 4.2 innings of work. Cadyn Shaw got the start and struck out 4 in 2.1 innings. He allowed all four earned runs.

“At the beginning of the year, we talked and last year we had a very upsetting loss in the first round,” explained Atomanczyk. “We used that as fire and we came together. This team is like a brotherhood. Every single one of us, we love each other so much.”

This is the third state championship won by the Franklin senior class after claiming the 3A Division II State Football Title in 2021 and the 3A Division I State Football Title in 2022.

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