The Portage Indians will take on the Boone Grove Wolves at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Portage will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Having struggled with five defeats in a row, Portage turned things around against Lowell on Thursday. The two teams finished up on equal footing with a 4-4 draw.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Boone Grove, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Tri-Township a 12-0 shutout on Friday. Considering the Wolves have won nine matches by more than eight runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Davian Carrera was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, Boone Grove let Andrew Batesole and Tristan Wilson run wild. Batesole got on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs, while Wilson went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those three runs gave Batesole a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Daniel Veschak, who went 1-for-2 with four RBI.
Boone Grove was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .450. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Boone Grove has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.9 runs over those games. Portage's draw gives them a new season record of 9-8-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Portage has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Boone Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Portage couldn't quite get it done against Boone Grove in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 as they fell 6-3. Will the Indians have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
