The Illiana Christian Vikings will take on the Highland Trojans at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Highland will be up against a hot Illiana Christian team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. Everything went the Vikings' way against Hobart on Thursday as they made off with a 12-2 victory. Considering the Vikings have won eight games by more than nine runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Cayden Petersen made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off nine hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Emmy Jansma
| 05/15/25 vs Hobart | 3 |
| 05/12/25 @ Hammond Bishop Noll | 1 |
| 04/29/25 vs Griffith | 1 |
| 04/22/25 vs River Forest | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Calumet New Tech | 1 |
In other batting news, Illiana Christian let Emmy Jansma and Olivia Daliege run wild. Jansma fired off three runs, three doubles, and one triple while going 4-for-4, while Daliege went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Those three doubles gave Jansma a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mya VanderWoude, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Illiana Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hobart only posted an OBP of .346.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Highland, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They won by a run and slipped past Chesterton 11-10. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for Highland's hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Jordan Boyd was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Gracie Waldron was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Illiana Christian's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-7. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Highland, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-9 record this season.
Monday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Illiana Christian has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .493. However, it's not like Highland struggles in that department as they've averaged .503. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Illiana Christian skirted past Highland 4-3 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Trojans have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
