Baseball Recap: Portage Finds Playoff Glory Versus Chesterton

With a playoff win on the line, Portage rose to the challenge on Friday. They put the hurt on the Chesterton Trojans with a sharp 9-3 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Indians.

Hunter Cole

Hits (Career)

05/30/25 vs Chesterton	3
04/16/25 @ Merrillville	2
04/10/25 vs Michigan City	2
05/08/24 vs Lake Central	2
05/28/25 vs Merrillville	1

Hunter Cole made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits. He has become a key player for Portage: the team is undefeated when he posts at least eight strikeouts, but 10-12-2 otherwise. Cole was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Williams De Gracia, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April.

Portage now has a winning record of 13-12-2. As for Chesterton, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 15-13 record this season.

Portage will square off against Valparaiso at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The Vikings will roll in looking for their 16th straight win, something the Indians surely won't give up without a fight. Chesterton does not have any more games scheduled as of now.