Looking to build on a season that yielded a long-awaited 8th-District title and concluded in the 2nd-Region championship game, University Heights Academy kicked off its 2025 campaign with a 5-1 victory on Monday over visiting Franklin-Simpson.
UHA took an early lead with a pair of runs in the second before Franklin-Simpson got to Blazer starter Jaiden Miles for a run in the top of the third. However, that would be it for the Wildcats at the plate, with Miles giving up two hits with four walks and four strikeouts over four frames to get the win.
Cadence Gibson’s three-run double in the fourth provided the rest of the offense for the Blazers. Josh Pace finished 2/3 at the plate, and Miles, Jackson Flynn, and Eli Finch each had a hit.
Bryson Turner struck out two and allowed a single hit in two innings of relief, and Gibson picked up a save after working a scoreless seventh.
Boy Blanckenberg took the loss for the Wildcats, surrendering five runs, three earned, on six hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
The Blazers will open district play on Thursday when they host Fort Campbell. UHA has dominated the series with the Falcons, winning the last 36 contests dating back to 2006.
