Whiteland came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.3 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Franklin Community Grizzly Cubs and snuck past 9-7. That result was just more of the same for these two, as Whiteland also won the last time the pair played back in April of 2023.
Peyton Dickens made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off only one hit. Dickens has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances. Dickens was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 4-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jordan Palmer, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Blake Riddle, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
On Franklin Community's side, Brooks McNicholas was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over 6.1 innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Franklin Community saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tyler Jones, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Trevor Lauononen was another key contributor, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with a stolen base and two RBI.
Whiteland's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-2. As for Franklin Community, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-4 record this season.
Whiteland will have a chance to go back-to-back against Franklin Community: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
