MARTINSVILLE
Whiteland needed a near-perfect game at the right time.
They nearly got it.
Pitcher Luke Helton fired a two-hitter, while striking out 17, and Alex Reed’s two-run blast to right-center field in the fourth inning gave Whiteland a stunning 3-1 win over second-ranked Center Grove in the first round of the Class 4A Martinsville Sectional on Wednesday night, ending the Trojans’ 21-game winning streak.
The Warriors (17-9) will face Franklin Central, a 3-0 winner over Franklin earlier in the evening, in a Monday morning semifinal.
Whiteland had also beaten the Trojans in the first round of the sectional two years ago. The pitcher in that one? Helton.
And as stellar as he was then, he was even better Wednesday night.
“It’s one of the better ones, that’s for sure,” Whiteland coach Scott Sherry said. “We get up for (Center Grove) and they for us. Luke had it going tonight and he threw a heck of a game.”
Center Grove (23-3) expected a tough game, having topped the Warriors 11-7, exactly one month ago.
Whiteland was certainly doing well, winning three of its last four coming into the game — including a 5-3 win over Indian Creek, one of just two teams to previously beat Center Grove. Since then, the Trojans have been perhaps the hottest team in the land.
Not against Helton.
“I felt pretty good,” Helton said. “This was the most strikeouts I’ve ever had. It’s nice to pull the upset again.”
For three innings, this was a classic pitchers’ duel. Trojan starter Grant Herron had struck out six and hadn’t given up a hit until the Warriors found the mark and had four consecutive hits in the fourth.
Iyan Pelfree doubled and then walked home thanks to Reed’s blast. Two singles after the home run gave the Warriors another run and, as it turned out, all the cushion they needed.
“It’s contagious,” Sherry said. “A couple of guys do it and one stretch in the fourth inning and that’s what it took.”
Center Grove coach Keith Hatfield then pulled Herron and put in fireballer Bryce Eblin, who struck out three batters. But while he was able to keep the Warriors from scoring, the Trojan batters could not touch Helton.
It was the third straight year the Trojans were eliminated in the first round.
In the first game of the night, Franklin couldn’t solve the puzzle of Franklin Central pitcher Matt Hall, who scattered six hits — all singles, and struck out 14 Grizzly Cub batters.
“We got off to a slow start,” Franklin coach Ryan Feyerabend said. “It took a few innings to get the swings going.”
The Grizzly Cubs (13-11) were able to get the leadoff batter on four different times, but Hall had such command of the game, he was never really threatened early.
Franklin did load the bases in the seventh inning with one out, but an infield fly rule and soft grounder to short ended the season.
“We competed and threw the ball well,” Feyerabend said. “We’re going to be losing some good seniors, but for next year, we have a good nucleus coming back."
Martinsville and Greenwood play in the other semifinal early Monday, with the championship game set for 6 p.m.
