The Illiana Christian Vikings will square off against the Hobart Brickies at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Illiana Christian has three straight wins, Hobart has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
While Illiana Christian's victory against Hammond Bishop Noll wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Vikings' pitcher stepped up to hand the Warriors a 2-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Not much got past Cayden Petersen, who gave up just two hits and racked up seven Ks to keep Hammond Bishop Noll off the board.
Lydia VanderWoude
| 05/13/25 vs Hammond Bishop Noll | 3 |
| 05/12/25 @ Hammond Bishop Noll | 4 |
| 05/09/25 @ Harrison | 3 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Lydia VanderWoude, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases and one RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to hits, as she's now got three or more in each of the last three games she's played. Mya VanderWoude was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Lowell hit Hobart with a eight-run seventh inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Brickies lost 12-1 to the Red Devils.
Ladan Weinman was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double.
Illiana Christian's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-7. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Hobart, their loss dropped their record down to 10-12.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Illiana Christian hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .390. However, it's not like Hobart struggles in that department as they've averaged .336. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Illiana Christian took their win against Hobart in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 8-1 score. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Brickies have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
