Baseball Game Preview: Griffith Panthers vs. Illiana Christian Vikings

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Previous 6 Games

04/23/24 - Home	8-7 W
04/22/24 - Away	2-12 L
04/25/23 - Away	2-7 L
04/24/23 - Home	2-10 L
04/26/22 - Home	9-8 W
04/25/22 - Away	9-5 W

Griffith and Illiana Christian are an even 3-3 against one another since April of 2022, but likely not for long. The Panthers will be playing at home against the Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Monday.

Griffith fell victim to Boone Grove and their airtight pitching crew on Saturday. They lost 10-0 to the Wolves. The loss continues a trend for the Panthers in their meetings with the Wolves: they've now lost four in a row.

Meanwhile, Illiana Christian came tearing into Saturday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Knights with a sharp 12-2 victory. Considering the Vikings have won six matches by more than nine runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.

Jake Scott was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI. That stolen base was his first of the season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Luke Smith, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two doubles. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ayden VanKuiken, who went 1-for-2 with three RBI, one run, and one double.

Illiana Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mishawaka Marian only posted an OBP of .364.

Illiana Christian's win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Griffith, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-3.

Griffith skirted past Illiana Christian 8-7 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.