Softball Game Preview: Whiting Oilers vs. Gary West Side Cougars

The Whiting Oilers will challenge the Gary West Side Cougars at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Whiting has four straight victories, Gary West Side has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

While Whiting didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They blew past River Forest 22-4 on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Oilers, who have now won three games by 18 runs or more so far this season.

Lilianna Bell was a major factor no matter where she played. She pitched five innings while giving up four earned runs off only two hits. Bell was even better at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Those four hits gave her a new career-high.

Arianna Vianello

Hits

04/15/25 @ River Forest	3
04/14/25 vs Lake Station Edison	3
04/10/25 @ Hammond Central	3

In other batting news, Whiting got a massive performance out of Arianna Vianello, who scored three runs while going 3-for-5. Vianello is on a roll when it comes to hits, as she's now got three or more in each of the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Lily Morando, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.

Whiting kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits every time they've taken the field this season.

Meanwhile, Gary West Side came up short against Hammond Morton on Monday, falling 22-2.

Whiting's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-0. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 21.7 runs over those games. As for Gary West Side, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.