NAZARETH - Early run support makes everything easier.

Lower Nazareth posted the game's first two runs in the second inning, and its starting pitcher Sarah Banko was on cruise control.Banko tossed four innings of one-run ball during Lower Nazareth's 7-2 victory over Franklin Township in the Section 6 8-10 Little League tournament on Monday."She was the difference in the game," said Franklin head coach J.C. Dietz. "She was absolutely fantastic. She peppered the strike zone and she kept our hitters off balance. When you get can a pitcher a lead, they just seem relaxed. She just kept us off balance and we didn't have a lot of hits."Bryce Snyder led off the second inning with a single for Nazareth. Zach Miller reached on an error, and then Mikey Bertz hit a Texas-Leaguer down the right field line that plated both runners."You have to get the jitters out," said Lower Nazareth head coach Scott Fuller. "So you have to get that first out or that first run. When you do that, it all starts to fall in place."The dominoes kept falling when Banko blanked Franklin in the bottom of the frame, and then tacked on three more runs in the top of the third. Banko helped her own cause with a two-run single, and the lead was 5-0 at that point."She's a gamer, and she comes ready to play at all times," Fuller said. "She can play all over the field, and she's one of our best hitters. This is her first full year of baseball. I'm just so proud of her, and so happy to be coaching her."Michael Gelatko delivered an RBI single with two outs in the third, which put Franklin on the board. Dylan Greene then delivered a single to load the bases, but Banko got a strikeout to escape any further damage."It seemed like we had two innings when we had the runners on," Dietz said. "But we just couldn't get that hit to push a run across. But, I'm proud of the kids effort, they never gave up. It was 5-0 early, and we didn't give up many runs after that. We didn't give them the big inning, which kept us in the game."Nazareth added on two more runs in the fifth to help closeout the contest.DOUBLE STEAL ... As Cole Dietz stole second base, Carter Bellis broke for home, and scored Franklin's second run of the game in the fifth inning.FAN THE SIDE ... Gelatko struck out the first two Nazareth batters of the fourth. He was then pulled in favor of John Light, who punched out the final hitter of the frame to strike out the side.MAKIN' IT LOOK EASY ... Banko needed just 15 total pitches to get through the first two innings. "We do hit the ball and we do take pitches," Dietz said. "But she was around the strike zone and when you're around it, you have to swing. You can't be taking pitches. Sometimes, you have to jump on the first pitch. All the credit goes to their pitching and their defense. Give them a lot of credit, everyone here is a district champ for a reason."QUICK TURNAROUND ... Franklin will square off with Stroudsburg in the loser's bracket tonight at 5 p.m. at Lower Nazareth. "We stayed in the game, and I couldn't be more proud of their effort," said Dietz. "Tonight, the ball was hit at them, and they were making the plays. But sometimes, that's baseball. Hopefully, we can come back tomorrow and get a win."Lower Nazareth 023 020 - 7 7 3Franklin Twp. 001 010 - 2 4 1Banko, Fitzgerald (5), Fuller (5) and Fitzgerald, Grzenda (5); Greene, Gelatko (3), Light (4), Dietz (5) and Lewis. W - Banko. L - Greene.