Franklin 12s headed to Dixie Youth World Series

A group of Franklin youth baseball players continued their Dixie Youth dominance of state championships, winning their third in as many years this weekend in Alexandria.
The Franklin 12-year-old All-Stars, who as 10-year-olds and 11-year-olds won state championships, won the Dixie Youth Majors Louisiana state championship Saturday, sweeping West Carroll in a best-of-three series. Franklin won game one 6-1 Friday before taking game two 4-3 Saturday.
As state champions, Franklin now is known as Louisiana as it will represent that state at the Dixie Youth World Series in Lumberton, North Carolina, beginning Aug. 4.
The state championship series was a rematch of the 10-year-old state championship series between Franklin and West Carroll.
“That was a good team we were up against, so it really could have went either way,” Franklin coach Clint Judice said of this past weekend’s series.
In Saturday’s game, Franklin scored one run in the top of the sixth via a bases-loaded walk to break a 3-all tie.
“On a full count with a very close pitch,” Judice said of the two-out situation in Franklin’s last at bat of regulation play.
In game one, Landon Walden, Alonzo Alexander and Ethan Judice each pitched two innings.
Alexander led Franklin’s offense with a 2-for-3 performance with two home runs. Other top Franklin offensive contributors were Ethan Judice, 2-for-3; Walden and Dan Ibert, each 1-for-1; and Gabe Hebert, 1-for-2.
In game two, Alexander and Judice each pitched three innings.
John David Hidalgo and Loren Wells led Franklin’s offense. Hidalgo was 1-for-2 with a home run, while Wells was 1-for-3 with a home run. Other top Franklin offensive contributors were Carter Faucheux, 1-for-1; and Alexander, 1-for-2.
At the world series, Louisiana will begin play Aug. 4 at 8 p.m. against Virginia. The Louisiana/Virginia winner will meet the Arkansas/Florida winner at 5:45 p.m. Aug. 5, while the two losers of the first-round game will play Aug. 5, at 3:30 p.m.
The double-elimination tournament will continue through Aug. 9, when a Dixie Youth Majors World Series champion is crowned.
In addition to host Lumberton, Franklin, Virginia, Arkansas and Florida, state champions from South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas will be represented.
Franklin will be attending its third straight World Series as the squad attended the AAA Dixie Youth World Series as 10-year-olds in Laurel, Mississippi, where it finished 1-2 before placing third in a non-sanctioned World Series in north Louisiana in 2017.
This year’s squad is the same from last year, and only one player is different from the 10-year-old squad from 2016.
While the squad was nervous in its 2016 trip, Judice doesn’t expect them to be star-struck this time.
“I think we’ll compete better because of their experience together,” Judice said. “They’ve been playing together for so long now.”