Baseball Recap: Illiana Christian Picks Up Seventh Straight Win at Home

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Lake Central, Illiana Christian was happy to have turned things around on Monday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Wheeler Bearcats a 23-0 shutout. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Vikings' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.

Spencer Bandstra and Gabe Soto were a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Bandstra struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Soto pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. At bat, Bandstra scored a run while going 3-for-4, while Soto got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, five RBI, and two runs.

Jake Scott

Runs (Career)

04/14/25 vs Wheeler	3
06/08/24 vs Rochester	2
06/08/24 vs Madison-Grant	2
05/22/24 vs Hammond Bishop Noll	2
04/20/24 vs Lowell	2

In other batting news, Jake Scott was incredible, scoring three runs while going 2-for-4. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Luke Smith was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Illiana Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wheeler only posted an OBP of .333.

Illiana Christian pushed their record up to 2-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Wheeler, they now have a losing record of 2-3.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Illiana Christian is set to challenge their familiar foe Calumet New Tech at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Wheeler will face off against rival Griffith at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.