NAZARETH — The loss was rough.

After all, seeing your season end in a game you never trailed until the final pitch is tough to take.

But for Franklin Township’s Senior Connie Mack manager J.C. Dietz, the 4-3 defeat wasn’t the worst part of Wednesday night’s playoff contest against Nazareth.

“I decided to (coach the team) to have two more months with these kids,” said Dietz. “I’m the head coach at Lehighton (high school), so I decided to do this with these kids, and I’m very happy I did. I think we beat a lot of teams that we shouldn’t, I think we had a great season, and these are just a great group of kids to be around.

“More important than the loss is not spending another time or another game with them. I really enjoy this crew. They play the game the correct way, they’re all good kids, they battle hard, and unfortunately things just didn’t go our way tonight.”

Things, actually, were all in Franklin Township’s favor early on. The No. 5 seed pushed across two runs in the second inning, added another in the third and was riding the strong pitching of Jake Lewis.

Landon Abelovsky delivered a two-out single to left to score Carter Bellis with the game’s first run. Abelovsky, who took second on the throw home, used more heads-up baserunning to double the lead. Zoltan Bedocs followed was a slow grounder to third that he beat out for a hit.

An alert Abelovsky didn’t stop at third and raced home ahead of a late throw to make it 2-0.

One inning later, Cash White singled off Nazareth starter Tyler Baker and stole both second and third. With a drawn-in infield, Lewis grounded a ball up the middle to up the advantage to 3-0.

That looked like it would be enough for Lewis, who didn’t give up any hits through the first three frames.

The right-hander, however, ran into some trouble in the fourth when a hit batter, a single and a walk loaded the bases with one out. Lewis got a big strikeout and it looked like he might get out of the inning, but Jacob Trach dropped a single just in front of right fielder Mike Santana to plate two runs and pull Nazareth within a run.

While the host team, seeded fourth, was starting to muster some offense, Franklin was having trouble applying any more pressure at the plate against reliever Zakary Novak.

“We didn’t score enough,” said Dietz. “I thought their second pitcher was the difference in the game. He came in the game and started pitching really well.”

While Novak did walk five during his four innings, he didn’t allow any hits and struck out seven.

It looked like that wouldn’t matter with Lewis on the mound, who left runners in scoring position in both the fifth and sixth innings.

Unfortunately for FT, he couldn’t escape the seventh.

Zellers drilled a double to left to start the Nazareth rally. Kerfoot laid down a sacrifice bunt, but an error on the play brought home the tying run and put the winning run at second. A passed ball, bunt single by Brown — in which Kerfoot held at third — and intentional walk loaded the bases. Caden Mills then drew a four-pitch walk to end the game.

“It was a good-old fashioned baseball game,” said Dietz. “I thought our starting pitcher, Jake, pitched a great game. He was running out of gas there at the end ... Once again, we pitched well and unfortunately they got one more run than we did.”

END OF THE ROAD ... Franklin ended its season with a record of 13-6 while Nazareth moved into the semifinals with a mark of 14-4.

INSURANCE FRAUD ... FT looked like it added an insurance run in the top of the seventh when White walked, stole second and went to third on a throwing error. Aiden Solt laid down a safety squeeze, which seemed to score White, but the home plate umpire called White out.

MOUND MAN ... Lewis pitched a complete game, throwing 101 pitches — 62 for strikes. He struck out six and walked five.

Franklin Twp. 021 000 0 - 3 4 3

Nazareth 000 200 2 - 4 6 3

Lewis and Goida; Baker, Novak (4) and Sanford. W - Novak. L - Lewis.