Franklin Township couldn't have asked for a better start to the opening round of the District 4 13-15 Babe Ruth tournament.

Combining a potent offense with a solid pitching performance, Glenn Hibbler's squad rolled to an 11-1 victory over Hazleton/Hazle Township Sunday night at Christman Field.The winners return to action this evening at 7:30 against Valley."That was a great start," said Hibbler. "We knew from this past week at practice that our offense was ready to explode ... The pitching was great tonight and we were aggressive running the bases, which is something we strive to do."We hit first tonight and we actually enjoy the opportunity to jump on a team early. We were able to take advantage of that and I'm proud of my guys for doing that. I'm not sure how many hits we had but we had a bunch of them. And many of them were good, solid hits."Franklin Township, which is hosting the six-team tourney but was the visiting club on the scoreboard, finished the five-inning contest with 12 hits. David Marino had three of them, two of them doubles, while Frank Bokan and Collin Haupt each contributed two. Of the 10 players in the starting lineup, every one either reached base, scored a run or knocked one in."We hit really well today," said winning pitcher Justin Marykwas. "If we keep doing that throughout the tournament we should be in good shape. And it was everybody. It was the whole team."It helps starting the game with a lead. It gives you momentum."Franklin gained that momentum three batters into the game when Haupt singled home Bokan for the evening's first run. Moments later, Marino doubled home Haupt to make it 2-0."That hit by Marino was huge," said Hibbler. "It was a double to the gap that gave us a two-run lead and set the tone. He had a good night at the plate."Marino added an RBI single during a four-run third inning that upped the margin to 6-0.That run support was more than enough for Marykwas, who allowed just two hits and an unearned run in his four innings of work. The righty walked just one and struck out four."He didn't have to throw too many pitches tonight and we helped him out at the plate," said Hibbler. "He had good control from the get-go. When you have good control as a pitcher and a solid defense behind you, that's a recipe to win.""Yeah, I felt in control today," said Marykwas. "My location was good and my curveball broke well. I knew early on that my curveball was working."The winners also received a two-run single from Bokan in the fourth and another two-run single by Justin Mahmde in the fifth."We're the reigning District 4 champs and we're hoping to repeat," said Hibbler. "That's what we're working for."Franklin Twp.204 23 - 11 121GHHT 00010 - 1 2 2W - Marykwas. L - Lobitz.