Softball Game Preview: Whiting Oilers vs. Hammond Central Wolves

The Whiting Oilers will head out to face off against the Hammond Central Wolves at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hammond Central took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Whiting, who comes in off a win.

While Oilers fans will have to keep waiting for their team to come home, they shouldn't be too worried about the road trip considering the result of Tuesday's season opener. They were the clear victors by a 20-0 margin over East Chicago Central on Tuesday.

Brennan Bannister and Lilianna Bell made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Bannister tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Bell kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. At bat, Bannister scored two runs while going 2-for-4, while Bell scored three runs while going 2-for-4. Those three runs gave Bell a new career-high.

Lily Morando

Runs

04/08/25 @ East Chicago Central	3
05/08/24 vs Griffith	1
04/23/24 @ Hammond Bishop Noll	2
04/20/24 @ Pioneer	1
04/20/24 vs Plymouth	1
+ 2 more games

In other batting news, Whiting got a massive performance out of Lily Morando, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs Morando has posted since back in April of 2024. Jordyn Rivera was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one home run and three runs.

Meanwhile, Hammond Central lost 27-9 to Hammond Academy of Science & Tech on Wednesday.

Everything went Whiting's way against Hammond Central when the teams last played back in April of 2023, as Whiting made off with a 13-6 victory. Will the Oilers repeat their success, or do the Wolves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.