The Martinsville Artesians will face off against the Whiteland Warriors at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Martinsville is looking for their season's first victory.
Wednesday just wasn't the day for Martinsville's offense. They fell 4-0 to Plainfield on Wednesday. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 19, 2023, but that streak is no more.
Jaxton Proctor spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks.
Whiteland came out on top against Shelbyville on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run second inning. The Warriors put the hurt on the Golden Bears with a sharp 7-1 win. The victory continues a trend for the Warriors in their matchups with the Golden Bears: they've now won three in a row.
Peyton Dickens made a splash while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
In other pitching news, Blake Lyle looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Whiteland is 3-1 when Lyle allows two or fewer earned runs, but 3-4 otherwise.
Back at the plate, Whiteland got a big performance out of Clayton Ratliff, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Peyton Wingfield, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Whiteland was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Shelbyville only posted a batting average of .000.
Martinsville's loss dropped their record down to 0-8. As for Whiteland, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Martinsville has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Whiteland struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Martinsville came up short against Whiteland when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 5-1. Can the Artesians avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
