WESTWOOD – Despite having to travel to face No. 5 Xaverian in the second round of the Division I state baseball tournament on Thursday, No. 12 Franklin’s starting pitcher DJ Silverstein remained unfazed.
After giving up one run in the bottom of the first inning, the junior tossed four scoreless frames to help the Panthers knock off the Hawks in Westwood, 5-3.
“We knew we were the better team coming into this,” Silverstein said. “I wouldn’t really call it an upset. We just went out there and played our game, it doesn’t matter if we’re plating at home or away.
“It just feels great to come out here to compete for our team, for our brothers, for our town. No better place I’d want to be than right here with these guys.”
Coming into this year, Franklin’s coach Zach Brown knew his team would need Silverstein to step up if they were going to be a threat in Div. I.
“I actually don’t even think he had his best stuff, but if just showed what kind of competitor he is,” Brown said of Silverstein. “He worked so hard in the offseason. He really made a huge jump from sophomore year to his junior year. We were excited he was going to get the ball today and he didn’t disappoint.”
The only trouble Silverstein ran into was in the bottom of the first. After striking out Jackson Morse to start the contest, Silverstein gave up a hit and a walk to Mike O’Keefe and Nolan Rappoli.
Jake Lonardo then singles to plate O’Keefe and give Xaverian a one run game. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they also tried to plate Rappoli, and he was tossed out at home to end the first inning.
Mike O’Keefe scores the first run of the game for Xaverian baseball on Thursday against Franklin.Peyton Doyle
On the offensive end, the Panthers had some trouble overcoming the 1-0 deficit in the first three innings. Though Franklin had four hits through three innings, a pair of double plays left them with no runs to show for them.
“Honestly, I felt like we were swinging the bats really well,” Brown said. “We just hit a couple at ‘em balls and they’re elite up the middle, that infield defense is elite. They’re able to spin some double plays and kind of get out of it, but I just felt like if we stayed the course and kept going we were going to be alright.”
Franklin’s heading proved fruitful in the fourth inning once Xaverian dipped into their bullpen. After Colin Mont replaced Abe Anderson, the Panthers put six hits on him across two innings.
After the top of the fifth, Franklin held a commanding 5-1 lead.
Franklin baseball celebrates scoring a run against Xaverian in the Division I state tournament.Peyton Doyle
In the bottom of the frame, Silverstein allowed just one baserunner but Brown knew the end of his outing was near.
After walking the first batter in the sixth, Silverstein was pulled and showered with a standing ovation from the visiting crown.
“It’s hot, and I did feel like the inning prior his stuff was a click down,” Brown said. “He was still competing hard. Then when he walked a guy on some uncompetitive pitches I felt like ‘alright, that’s the time to make this move.’”
DJ Silverstein pitches for Franklin baseball against Xaverian.Peyton Doyle
Silverstein handed the ball to reliever Owen Sullivan who quickly found himself with bases loaded but allowed just one runner to score before ending the sixth.
In the seventh inning, Brown went to Justin Tremblay who did allow another run, but never let Xaverian get back into the contest.
Inducing a fly out to end the seventh, Tremblay sealed the win for the Panthers.
Owen Sullivan pitches for Franklin baseball against Xaverian.Peyton Doyle
Next, Franklin will face off with No. 4 King Phillip in the state quarterfinals, a team that beat them twice in the regular season, each time by just one run.
“We know how they play and it’s hard to beat a team three times,” Silverstein said. “They did take two from us in the regular season but we’re prepared and we said after the second time that we knew we were going to play again and we’re going to be ready for it.”
DJ Silverstein is relieved as Franklin baseball’s pitcher by Owen Sullivan.Peyton Doyle
For Xaverian, Thursday’s loss marks the end of the line for this year’s group, and for 15 seniors, their last time playing for the Hawks.
Gerry Lambert has been coaching the program for nearly 30 years, but he said there was something special about 2025’s group.
“I often get emotional at the end of a season and I had a feeling that that would be no different,” Lambert said of addressing his team. “You never know until it happens in the moment, but this is a group that built a tremendous amount of momentum over the course of their four years.
“We are a much better program today than we were four years ago because of these guys, and there’s a debt there I can’t really repay. At the same time you remind them and acknowledged that this is part of what happens in life.”
The Xaverian Hawks cheer on their teammates in a game against Franklin.Peyton Doyle
While this group did not capture a state trophy as seniors, the Hawks did bring home the Div. I title in 2021. A part of Lambert’s final address to the group was just how rare that feat is.
“There’s whatever number of teams playing baseball in Massachusetts int he postseason,” Lambert said. “You add up all the divisions, 170, or 180, and five of them win their last game. Those aren’t very good odds.
“My record in last games of the season is now 3 and 21 so that’s not very good. But you have to roll from that and pick yourself up and get back at it, and that’s really what we’re talking about in terms of life.”
When it’s all said and done, regardless of the final result on June 5, 2025, Lambert knows these Hawks will always have a place within him.
“I’ve been coaching a long time now, so there’s a tendency maybe for it to all blend together,” Lambert said. “I don’t know that this team will blend with a lot of other teams. And I’m not just saying that because it’s in the moment here.
“There are a lot of unique things about this year that come to mind that I think when I’m gumming my food in 30 years and have one marble left rolling in my head, I’ll be maybe telling a story or two about the class of 25 team.”
