Kade Franklin matches brother's shutout, Ropes baseball sweeps Clarendon with Game 2 win

PLAINVIEW — Kade Franklin said he and his older brother don't compare their starts, but that doesn't mean everything is 100% friendly.

"We just fight a lot at home," Franklin said.

The Ropes sophomore and brother Bode Franklin get along just fine on the field, and they teamed to deliver a dominant pitching series against Clarendon.

Kade Franklin finished off a Region I-2A quarterfinal sweep with the Eagles' 5-0 win in Game 2 Friday at Bulldog Park. That came on the heels of Bode's 14-strikeout shutout the night before.

The strong 1-2 punch in the playoffs has boosted Ropes, which is on to the region semifinals for the second-straight year.

Kade Franklin lets Ropes defense work

Kade Franklin scattered four Clarendon hits and didn't allow a runner to reach second base until the final inning. It wasn't an overwhelming strikeout performance, although he had five, but it was just as effective as his brother's outing in a 1-0 opening win.

Kade Franklin issued one walk and hit one batter, letting his defense do the heavy lifting.

"The (series) pitching was top-tier," Eagles coach Blake Jackson said. "… For Game 2 we didn't have as many strikeouts, but we made plays in the field. That just shows how good our pitching and our defense are, the eight other guys behind our pitcher."

In the opposite dugout, it was a frustrating sight as the Broncos' contact was mostly for naught.

"You've got to tip your hat to them. They played well defensively and made some plays," Clarendon coach Aaron Wampler said. "… You just tell the guys to keep swinging, keep swinging (and) they'll fall. Unfortunately we ran out of outs to let those fall, but proud of the effort. I thought we scrapped really well and didn't give in."

Ropes also took pressure off Franklin with an early lead. A bases-loaded hit batsman gave the Eagles a 1-0 edge, before Jarrod Musick responded. The Broncos pitcher kept it a one-run deficit until Ropes broke through in the fourth. Mason Marmolejo scored two with a double, and Brady Bryan continued the two-out rally with an RBI single to make it 4-0.

Those were the first hits allowed by Musick, who gave up four total. He issued five walks, but the bigger problem was Clarendon's four errors.

Ropes keeps chase alive

The Eagles broke their final huddle with "GGC," which stands for gold-glove chasing. Ropes has hunted down quite a few trophies during an unprecedented run the past two seasons.

Following consecutive bi-district losses, the Eagles made history with their trip to the region semifinals last year. Matching the feat is a sign of Ropes' staying power, but the team isn't ready for the ride to end.

"I think it's a culture now," Jackson said. "I think that they have bought in. … I think anytime they have a chance to win a gold glove, they maximize that and they take it head on. I think it's the culture that we've established the last two seasons, and I think that's what's brought us up to the top tier."

REGION I-2A QUARTERFINAL

GAME 2

Ropes 5, Clarendon 0

Clarendon 000 000 0 — 0 4 4

Ropes 100 301 x — 5 4 0

Jarrod Musick and Easton Frausto (6). Kade Franklin. W — Franklin. L — Musick. 2B — Ropes, Mason Marmolejo, Franklin.

Records: Clarendon 21-6-1; Ropes 29-6.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Kade Franklin pitches Ropes to Region I-2A quarterfinal sweep of Clarendon