Franklin Academy pitchers Tyler Harris and Anthony Warner combined for a four-hitter to help lead Franklin Academy to a 2-0 win over Trinity on Thursday to win the MPSA District 6A championship in three games.

Trinity forced a third and deciding game with a 6-3 win in Game 2.

Trinity jumped out to a 6-0 lead on seven hits in the top of the first inning.

The big hit was Cole Brown’s two-run home run that cleared the fence in right field.

Hunter Dale was the winning pitcher in Game 2, giving up no earned runs and five hits, striking out five and walking one in seven innings.

Dale also went 2-for-3 with a double at the plate. McGehee and Gregory Ketchings went 2-for-3 with two singles.

Caleb Blount was the losing pitcher, giving up six runs and nine hits (only two after the first inning), struck out four and walked two in six innings.

Harris, the Game 3 winning pitcher, allowed three hits and walked one in four innings.

Warner allowed only one hit and struck out two in three innings of relief.

Elliot Meng, Trinity’s Game 3 pitcher, had a good outing in defeat, giving up only one earned run and six hits and striking out five.

However, a hit batsman and three walks (two in the first inning and the other in the fifth inning) eventually led to both of the Cougars’s runs.

&uot;We played hard. It was a good defensive battle,&uot; said Trinity head baseball coach David King. &uot;Elliot pitched good enough to win.&uot;

Hitting was the main downfall for Trinity when it needed the most. Just about everything that wasn’t caught by Cougar outfielders Blaise Simms, Jeff Smith and Derrick Hitt didn’t get out of the infield.

&uot;We just didn’t put the ball in play,&uot; King said.

Franklin Academy’s first run came in the top of the first when Simms was hit by a pitch, Smith and Blake Tucker walked and Warner hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring in Simms.

The Cougars, however, did not score again in their half of the inning as Meng got Caleb Englerth to strike out and Harris to fly out to left field.

In the bottom of the first, William McGehee hit a two-out single, but was thrown out trying to steal second.

After a lead-off single by Hitt in the top of the second, Meng struck the next three batters he faced to get out of the inning. Hitt stole second and third, but was stranded there.

Hitt was 3-for-3 with three singles.

Englerth led off the top of the fourth with a single, but Harris hit into a double play. Hitt then singled and stole second but was stranded there as Will Picanty popped out.

Franklin’s final run of Game 3 came in the top of the fifth when Bubba Hayes walked, went to second on a Simms groundout and scored on a Smith double.

Trinity had one more chance to either tie or win the game in the bottom of the seventh.

Walt Ketchings led off with a single, but the Saints were unable to move him around.

Trinity (15-7) will play either Plain Dealing or Mount Olive in the first round of the MPSA Class A playoffs.

Trinity’s game with WCCA Saturday has been cancelled.