The Hammond Morton Governors will take on the Griffith Panthers at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Hammond Morton comes in on six and Griffith on four.
Hammond Morton is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Merrillville 24-10 on Monday. The result was nothing new for the Governors, who have now won seven matchups by ten runs or more so far this season.
Ei'Lani Herrera
| 05/05/25 @ Merrillville | 7 |
| 05/01/25 @ Lake Station Edison | 5 |
| 04/29/25 vs Mishawaka Marian | 6 |
| 04/28/25 @ Hammond Central | 6 |
| 04/24/25 vs East Chicago Central | 9 |
| 04/19/25 @ Thornton Fractional South | 7 |
Ei'Lani Herrera was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and nine unearned) runs off ten hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 2-for-5 with one home run, two stolen bases, and five RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, Analiya Feliciano was incredible, getting on base in five of her six plate appearances with six stolen bases, six runs, and two RBI. She has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times she's played. Another player making a difference was Asia Jackson, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with three stolen bases and four runs.
Hammond Morton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .316 or higher in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Griffith narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Hammond Bishop Noll 3-1.
Cheyanne Fant spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Elena Rivas, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Morgan Von Ogden, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run.
Hammond Morton's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-2. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 19.6 runs over those games. As for Griffith, their win bumped their record up to 11-5.
Thursday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hammond Morton has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .592. However, it's not like Griffith struggles in that department as they've averaged .435. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hammond Morton couldn't quite get it done against Griffith when the teams last played back in May of 2023 as they fell 14-9. Can the Governors avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
