It’s going to take a lot of offense, and good pitching, to try and upend Franklin Township’s 8-10-year-old all-star baseball team.

Township can make life miserable for most teams, and it showed that again on Thursday when it took care of business to capture the District 18 South title.

Franklin needed only five innings to ring up an impressive 11-1 decision over Tamaqua and finish the double-elimination tournament unbeaten.

Township will try to ride the momentum it has established when it takes on the North champ - either Valley East or Valley West - next week in a best-of-three series for the District 18 championship.

It was the second time that Franklin defeated Tamaqua in the tournament, winning the first meeting 12-3.

Winning pitcher Miles Mann kept the Tamaqua offense in check as he fired a three-hitter, striking out seven. Franklin backed him with seven hits, including two each from Carter Spotts, Owen Moyer and Mann.

“They took advantage of every situation presented to them, and that’s why they’re such a good team,” said Tamaqua coach Jimmy Barron about Franklin.

He won’t get a debate from Franklin Township manager Ben Moyer.

“We kept the kids focused,” he said. “We came in and played our game. We wanted to play good defense and have our pitcher throw strikes, and that’s what we did.”

Easy as 1, 2, 3.

Indeed, Mann threw strikes and his mates were throwing leather all over the field - save for a slight fifth-inning breakdown. By that time, Tamaqua was trying to stay alive in what would be its final at bats. The youthful Tams scored an unearned run of Mann in the frame, who stayed the course to end the game on his seventh strikeout.

“He’s a phenomenal pitcher for a 9-year-old,” Moyer said. “He threw strikes. It was a great effort on his part.”

Franklin Township set the pace early with a three-run first, taking advantage of a pair of Tamaqua errors. Spotts’ double was the only hit in the inning.

A four-run eruption in the top of the fourth helped Township garner all the offensive momentum they needed to put space between them and their opponent. Once again Franklin put the ball in play and forced Tamaqua miscues, as it committed three more errors. This time Moyer was the only Franklin batter with a hit - a single to drive in a run. Nine batters came to the plate in the inning.

The winners were back at in the fifth, scoring four more runs as Spotts clouted a double and Mann roped a single. Again, Franklin Township sent nine batters to the plate.

Tamaqua scored its run when Luis Grim reached base on an error, swiped second and came around to score on another miscue in the field, before a heads-up play by catcher Spotts, shortstop Ethan Laible, and first baseman Roman White produced the second out. Mann then reached back and got a strikeout for the final out of the game.

MANN THE MAN

… Mann threw just 60 pitches in five innings. He threw 42 strikes - an extremely impressive number, and walked just one batter.

MAKING PLAYS

... Franklin Township’s shortstop Liable came up with superb plays. He also likes to use a basket catch when fielding pop ups. Say Hey Willie Mays!

SHE CAN HIT

… Tamaqua’s Joey Vidzicki singled in the second - one of just two this for her team. She’s a free swinger not looking for a walk. Jake Faneck had the other single in the fifth.

BATS

… In addition to the big offensive games from Spotts, Moyer and Mann, Jake Kistner added a single for Franklin.

Franklin Twp. 304 04 – 11 7 2

Tamaqua 000 01 - 1 2 4

Mann and Spotts; Barrett, Makovc (4) and Barron. W – Mann L – Barrett