The name Myles Meek might not be familiar to everyone in Lehighton — yet.

But if Thursday’s performance is any indication, that may soon change.

Behind aggressive base running and a dominant pitching outing from Meek, Franklin Township blanked Valley West 12-0 in a District 18 Little League winners bracket game at Phifer’s Ice Dam Field.

What initially looked like a tight matchup quickly turned into a runaway, with Franklin taking control after a strong second inning.

Meek and Valley West’s Nolan Peak each recorded three strikeouts in the first, as Franklin scratched across a run to take an early lead.

But the second inning proved to be the turning point.

Franklin used three straight singles to plate three more runs, sparking a momentum shift that Valley West couldn’t recover from.

Meanwhile, Meek maintained his poise on the mound, working out of multiple jams when Valley West threatened with runners on base.

“He’s been in a lot of tough situations in sports, and he’s a great football player,” said Franklin Township head coach Travis Hunsicker. “He keeps his composure very well, and is always super focused. It’s a credit to him. He’s been through this before.”

Meek tossed four shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing just a handful of baserunners in the lopsided victory.

Franklin’s offense didn’t let up, as it scored in each inning and erupted for five runs in the fifth. Jake Kistner went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Jayce Graham and Bryson Brungard each finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs from the bottom of the order.

Valley West head coach Bob Tranguch credited Franklin for its execution, and acknowledged his team was never able to settle in.

“I felt like we were OK for a while, but then it just seemed like things started slowly unraveling,” he said. “I think (Franklin) got our kids not in the right mind. It’s tough because this was in no way a representation of who I think we are, but we were definitely rattled early.”

Despite the dominant win, Hunsicker stressed the importance of staying locked in.

“Every at-bat is super important,” he said. “Have a productive at-bat. We stress putting the ball in play, putting pressure on the other team and making them get us out.”

UP NEXT … Franklin Township will face Weatherly on Saturday in the next round of the District 18 winners bracket. Weatherly advanced with a 2-0 win over Tamaqua.

Franklin Township 131 25 - 12 12 2

Valley West 000 00 - 0 4 2

Meek, Mann (5) and Hunsicker; Peak, Klesh (3), Tranguch (5) and Tranguch, Graham (5). W - Meek. L - Peak.

Records: Franklin Twp. (3-0); VW(1-1).