The Hanover Central Wildcats will head out on the road to take on the Kankakee Valley Kougars at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hanover Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.8 runs per game this season.
Hanover Central will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Monday, then bounced right back against Kouts on Tuesday. The Wildcats were the clear victors by an 18-3 margin over the Mustangs & Fillies. The result was nothing new for the Wildcats, who have now won nine matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.
Claire Edgerton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on four hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Sienna Stilley
| 05/13/25 @ Kouts | 3 |
| 05/10/25 @ Glenn | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Andrean | 2 |
| 04/19/24 vs Kankakee Valley | 2 |
| 04/10/24 vs Hammond Morton | 2 |
On the hitting side, Adeline McMahon and Sienna Stilley did most of the damage at the plate: McMahon got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Stilley went 1-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one double. Those three runs gave Stilley a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Nora Edgerton, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Hanover Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .474. They are 9-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Kankakee Valley never got on the board in their matchup on Monday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against McCutcheon on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 10-9 win over the Mavericks.
Mallorie Rose made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Rose was even better at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Danielle Gidley, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Madalynn Hemphill was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Kankakee Valley has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-10 record this season. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 1.33 runs across that stretch. As for Hanover Central, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-8.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Hanover Central hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.3 home runs per game. However, it's not like Kankakee Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Hanover Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Kankakee Valley when the teams last played back in April, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
