The South Bend Saint Joseph Huskies will take on the Portage Indians in a tournament on Saturday. South Bend Saint Joseph is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Portage will be up against a hot South Bend Saint Joseph team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Huskies came out on top against Elkhart by a score of 6-3 on Friday.
Myla Blazejewski spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on seven hits.
On the hitting side, South Bend Saint Joseph let Camille Potter and Bailey Ball run wild. Potter went a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double, while Ball got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Kiley Weinberg, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Portage gave up the first runs on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 5-2 win over Hanover Central. The victory was familiar territory for the Indians, who have now won three contests in a row.
Portage also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Hope Heldt gave up just two earned runs on seven hits. Heldt has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Miley Prance, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Erin Fausch also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
South Bend Saint Joseph's win bumped their record up to 5-6. As for Portage, the victory got them back to even at 7-7.
Saturday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. South Bend Saint Joseph hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .318. However, it's not like Portage struggles in that department as they've averaged .414. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South Bend Saint Joseph came out on top in a nail-biter against Portage when the teams last played back in April of 2022, sneaking past 8-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Huskies since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
