For four and a half innings of baseball on Monday, Penn-Trafford dominated a Franklin Regional team that many consider to be one of the favorites to win a WPIAL Quad A title this season.

Senior pitcher Dan Grabowski mixed in numerous off-speed pitches throughout the afternoon to confuse Panther hitters and get easy fly-ball outs.

The P-T batters also came through with clutch hits to build leads of 3-0 and 5-2, but the Panthers mounted a late-game rally to tie the score and eventually won the game in the eighth inning, 6-5.

Penn-Trafford fell to 4-2 overall and 0-2 in section play, while Franklin Regional remained unbeaten at 5-0, 2-0.

"We outplayed Franklin. We out hit them. We outplayed them. We didn't get any breaks. They had a big home run. And they got the win," P-T coach Ron Evans said.

"The last two innings, we didn't hit. In the seventh and eighth, you've got to hit the ball. We didn't hit the ball. We hit the whole game until the last two innings."

In the bottom of the eighth, FR junior James Verona came through with a bases-loaded single over a drawn-in outfield to win the game.

Senior catcher Stephen Ferimer got the rally started with a lead-off double over the head of P-T centerfielder Chris Rasky, and after a walk by senior Greg Moore and a bunt single by junior Josh Robinette, Verona sent a high fly ball to deep left field that fell behind P-T's Josh Ruccio to plate pinch runner Mike Novak.

Penn-Trafford got the scoring started in the second inning as senior infielder Andrew Barton led off with a double. After a bunt single by senior first baseman Derek Richey, Barton scored when senior catcher Steve Mandish grounded into a double play.

The Warriors picked up another run in the third inning off FR pitcher Mike Pelekanos, a senior Duquesne recruit. Sophomore DH Aaron McGee doubled into right field and scored on junior Mike Cima's single down the left field line.

Grabowski maintained the lead by keeping the Panther hitters off balance with a variety of off-speed pitches and by hitting locations.

"He pitched excellent. He had them off balance," Evans said. "Franklin's a good fastball hitting team, and he kept them off balance with slow curve balls, lazy stuff, in and out. He got a little tired at the end, and when he got tired, they started to hit him."

The visitors added another run in the fifth inning as Rasky led off with a triple down the right field line and scored on McGee's sacrifice fly to make the score 3-0. Ferimer picked off Cima at second base, and FR used the momentum to put up two runs in the bottom of the inning.

P-T increased the lead to 5-2 and chased Pelekanos after Mandish had an RBI single to plate Barton, and senior Ryan Cortazzo scored Mandish with an RBI double.

FR senior Greg Moore then entered and shut down the P-T offense the rest of the way, allowing no hits and two walks to earn the win.

The Panthers put up three runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game. Ferimer led off with a single, and newly substituted right fielder Robinette then blasted a home run over the center field wall to put FR within one, 5-4, and chased Grabowski in the process.

Senior Jordan Cunningham came in for P-T and was hit for a run when Verona came around to score on an infield single by Franceschelli.

"This loss hurts. Our team is playing well. Franklin is supposed to be one of the elite in the WPIAL," the P-T coach said. "We should've beat them. They're a good ball club though."

Penn-Trafford returns to action today, Wednesday, at home against Connellsville, at 4 p.m.