Whiteland’s Brayden Roy (12) and the Warrior dugout celebrate after teammate Drew Helton hit a go-ahead grand slam during Wednesday’s game against Franklin.
Sam Findley | For the Daily Journal
Whiteland junior shortstop Drew Helton began the evaluation process the instant bat touched ball.
Will it or won’t it?
It did.
Helton’s grand slam home run in the bottom of the fourth inning enabled the Warriors to rally for an 8-6 victory over visiting Franklin in Mid-State Conference action.
Whiteland’s second win over the Grizzly Cubs in as many days improved its record to 4-6 overall and 3-3 in the conference standings. Franklin falls to 6-5 and 2-3.
“I thought it was just in the right center field gap. I was rounding first and it just carried out,” said Helton, whose blast chased Cubs starting pitcher Noah DeArmitt. “It was a 2-0 pitch, so I was sitting fastball. I like it low, and he threw it low.
“I sat on it and drove it the other way.”
The game was a far cry from Tuesday’s 16-5 Whiteland triumph at Franklin, which saw coach Scott Sherry’s squad score six runs in both the first and fifth innings.
On Wednesday, Franklin raced to a 5-0 advantage and it looked as though a series split was virtually a lock.
“After a big win yesterday, just the energy wasn’t there,” Sherry said. “We were just a little flat, and I think feeling sorry for ourselves a little bit about some of our play.
“It’s just about having energy, being into the game and picking each other up. When that happens, I think the results take care of themselves.”
The Grizzly Cubs stranded three runners in the top of the first, but did manage to put a run across for a quick lead.
Junior leadoff hitter Trevor Launonen singled to center field, followed by a walk to senior Max Clark. Both players advanced on a ground out by Blake Smythe, with Launonen scoring on a Warriors fielding error.
Franklin tacked on another three runs in the second.
A one-out opposite-field single to left by sophomore Nash Netter in time gave way to a Whiteland throwing error, a trio of walks and a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly to center from Franklin freshman Luke Sherry — Scott Sherry’s son — in the third frame upped the score to 5-0.
Whiteland finally began demonstrating a pulse offensively in the bottom half of the third as leadoff hitter Maalik Perkins singled, followed by consecutive one-out doubles by Helton and pitcher Peyton Dickens.
It was at that point that Helton, a .414 hitter coming in, went yard for the second time this season.
Franklin, which received two-hit efforts from both Launonen and Netter, cut the advantage to two in the top of the seventh. But with two out, Warriors reliever Brayden Roy got Smythe to ground to third baseman Blake Riddle, who stepped on third base for a force out to end the game.
Helton also doubled, while Dickens doubled twice and Perkins had two singles for the Warriors.
The Grizzly Cubs play a pair of nonconference home games on Saturday, starting with Southport for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Franklin then faces Roncalli at 4.
Whiteland doesn’t play again until next Tuesday, when it travels to Martinsville. The Warriors host the Artesians the following day.
“We’re 4-6, we’ve lost two 1-0 games. We’ve played well. We’re just trying to figure things out,” Scott Sherry said. “We’re aggressive, and when we’re hitting on all cylinders, we put some pressure on the other team.”
