The Perry Meridian Falcons will be playing at home against the Whiteland Warriors at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Perry Meridian is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Decatur Central just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell just short of the Hawks by a score of 6-5.
Jacob McDaniel was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits.
At the plate, Perry Meridian saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aiden Kerr, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Kerr has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive pitching appearances.
Meanwhile, Whiteland scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Monday. They put the hurt on Decatur Central with a sharp 16-6 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Whiteland considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Drew Helton made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. Helton was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with four RBI, two doubles, and a stolen base.
In other batting news, David Collins and Peyton Dickens did most of the damage at the plate: Collins scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while Dickens went 2-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple. Another player making a difference was Maalik Perkins, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Perry Meridian's loss dropped their record down to 12-6. As for Whiteland, their victory bumped their record up to 11-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Perry Meridian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Whiteland struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Perry Meridian came out on top in a nail-biter against Whiteland in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, sneaking past 3-2. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Whiteland's Brayden Roy, who struck out six batters over eight innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Perry Meridian to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
