vs
| 05/17/24 - Home | 5-0 W |
| 05/09/23 - Away | 10-0 W |
| 05/08/23 - Home | 17-0 W |
| 05/26/22 - Neutral | 10-0 W |
| 05/10/22 - Home | 15-5 W |
| + 5 more games |
Hanover Central has gone a perfect 10-0 against Griffith recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Wildcats are taking a road trip to take on the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Hanover Central has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Griffith will arrive with seven straight victories.
Hanover Central is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest loss since May 24, 2024 on Wednesday. They came up short against Lowell, falling 9-2. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Wildcats' biggest loss of the season was also their lowest-scoring.
Hanover Central saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sienna Stilley, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
While Griffith didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They blew past Lake Station Edison 18-2 on Tuesday. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by 14 runs or more this season.
Victoria Nudo made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brylie Bridges, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game. Nevaeh Vargas was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles.
Griffith always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .543. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .543 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Griffith's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.0 runs over those games. As for Hanover Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-4.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Hanover Central hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .361. However, it's not like Griffith struggles in that department as they've averaged .412. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hanover Central beat Griffith 5-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
