The La Porte Slicers will head out on the road to challenge the Valparaiso Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
La Porte easily dispatched Merrillville on Wednesday, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Slicers fell just short of South Bend Adams by a score of 15-13 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Slicers have suffered since April 5th.
Gage Raymond
| 05/09/25 @ South Bend Adams | 4 |
| 05/06/25 vs Merrillville | 3 |
| 04/29/25 @ Michigan City | 3 |
| 04/23/25 @ Chesterton | 2 |
| 04/05/25 @ Logansport | 2 |
| + 7 more games |
Gage Raymond made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 4-for-5 with two triples, one run, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of La Porte's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is 2-1 (and 7-11 when he doesn't). Reed Raymond was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.
Meanwhile, Valparaiso entered their tilt with Hammond Central on Saturday with seven consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with eight. They blew past the Wolves 21-0. The Vikings' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last five contests.
Valparaiso got a massive performance out of Matthew Civanich, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most runs Civanich has posted over his last 12 matchups. Drayden Wilcox also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Valparaiso hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive games.
Valparaiso's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 14-5. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for La Porte, their loss dropped their record down to 9-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. La Porte has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valparaiso struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
