The Franklin Community Grizzly Cubs will face off against the Whiteland Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Franklin Community's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Whiteland's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Franklin Community is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They put the hurt on Columbus East with a sharp 8-2 win. Considering the Grizzly Cubs have won eight matchups by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Braeden Burton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Landen Basey was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. Nash Netter was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Whiteland had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Trojans, sneaking past 4-2.
Peyton Wingfield tossed a big game, tossing 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Peyton Dickens, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since May 2nd. The team also got some help courtesy of Colton Shipp, who went 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Franklin Community moved to 16-9 with that victory, which also ended their three-game losing streak. As for Whiteland, their win bumped their record up to 15-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Franklin Community has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Whiteland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Franklin Community was able to grind out a solid victory over Whiteland in their previous matchup back in April, winning 5-1. Will the Grizzly Cubs repeat their success, or do the Warriors have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
