The Hanover Central Wildcats will face off against the Illiana Christian Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hanover Central barely beat Munster the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Wildcats never let the Mustangs get on the board and left with an 11-0 win on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won five in a row.
Matt Cook tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
Caiden Verrett
| 05/06/25 @ Munster | 3 |
| 04/22/25 @ Highland | 2 |
| 05/05/25 vs Munster | 1 |
| 04/28/25 @ Lowell | 1 |
| 04/17/25 vs Providence Catholic | 1 |
At the plate, Caiden Verrett and Dylan Bowen did most of the damage at the plate: Verrett went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and three runs, while Bowen went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those three stolen bases gave Verrett a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Landon Sarkey, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Hanover Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Munster only posted an OBP of .364.
Meanwhile, Illiana Christian's rock-solid pitchers showed up for the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Whiting as they made off with a 10-0 win.
Gabe Soto made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, earning one RBI and two stolen bases.
In other batting news, Ayden VanKuiken was incredible, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that he has snagged this season. Jake Scott was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Illiana Christian pushed their record up to 14-2 with the victory, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for Hanover Central, their victory bumped their record up to 13-4.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hanover Central has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .459. However, it's not like Illiana Christian struggles in that department as they've averaged .485. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Hanover Central's way against Illiana Christian in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Hanover Central made off with a 13-5 win. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
