SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock High School baseball team has hit some adversity.

That left Travis Lauster longing to play the next game. The Rockets dropped a non-region contest to Franklin 9-7 Monday night at home, leaving the bases loaded in the seventh inning.

Slippery Rock (6-2) has lost two straight.

“We want to come back and play again,” said Lauster, who had two RBI. “We're going to come with a good practice again tomorrow, get our heads back on track and we'll be ready for Wednesday.”

Rockets coach Nate McCollough thinks this has been a good learning experience. Now, Slippery Rock has to find a way to win close games.

“It's only going to help you in the long run,” McCollough said. “If you play blowouts all the time, it's not going to help you when you get to the playoffs. You have to win these games against the better competition.”

Entering the seventh behind 9-5, Jackson Kerchis and Joe Barnhart opened with singles for Slippery Rock. One batter later, Jason Rockburn drew a walk off Franklin relief pitcher Mike Vasenka to load the bases.

Jake Arenzio followed with a walk to cut the lead to 9-6 before Vasenka was replaced by Zach Guth.

Guth struck out Jason Bennett, but Lauster drew a walk to narrow the lead to 9-7.

With the bases still loaded, Ryan Lauster struck out looking to end the game. Travis Lauster thought Slippery Rock had better at-bats as the game went along.

“We finally got some fire in us and realized what was at stake,” he said. “We could beat a good team like that and started battling.”

The Knights (6-0) took control in the second inning. Trailing 2-1, Franklin drew two walks off Kerchis to open the inning.

Kyle Ritchey followed with a bunt down the third base line that stayed fair to load the bases.

“It just made the most sense. First and second with no outs with the nine hitter up,” Franklin coach Brian Schmidt said. “We were putting it down no matter what.”

Alex Huff drew a walk to tie the game and Joe Desko smashed a three-run triple to right center field to put the Knights ahead 5-2.

That chased Kerchis, who allowed five runs in one inning pitched, from the game and Franklin added another run on a sacrifice fly by Tim Butler.

Travis Lauster cut into the lead with an RBI triple in the third. It remained 7-3 until both teams scored two runs in the sixth inning.

Franklin starting pitcher Ryan Madden earned the win, striking out four and allowing three runs in five innings pitched.

“I thought our plate approaches got better as the fifth and sixth innings came along,” McCollough said. “Their first pitcher did a good job of keeping us off-balance.”

Butler had a two-run single for Slippery Rock in the first inning. Ryan Lauster also picked up an RBI.

Schmidt thought winning this game was important to the Knights.

“We were excited to play them. We knew they were a good team,” Schmidt said. “We played them here at the end of the year before the playoffs and lost to them in extra innings.”

Franklin 151 002 0 —9 7 1

Slippery Rock 210 002 2 — 7 7 0

W: Ryan Madden 5IP (4K, 4BB). L: Jackson Kerchis 1 IP (0K, 4 BB).

Franklin (6-0): Alex Huff 2 1B, Ryan Madden 1B, Kyle Ritchey 1B 2B, Joe Desko 1B 3B.

Slippery Rock: Tim Butler 1B, Jake Arienzo 1B, Jason Bennett 1B, Ryan Lauster 2B, Travis Lauster 3B, Jackson Kerchis 1B, Joe Barnhart 1B

Wednesday: Slippery Rock at Grove City