The Illiana Christian Vikings will be playing at home against the Hanover Central Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hanover Central is hoping to do on Thursday what Hammond Bishop Noll couldn't on Friday: put an end to Illiana Christian's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Everything went Illiana Christian's way against Hammond Bishop Noll as Illiana Christian made off with a 14-4 win.
Mikayla Derks and Cayden Peterson were a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Derks pitched three innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Peterson pitched four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Derks went 2-for-2 with two doubles, while Peterson went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Avery Martin was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Lydia VanderWoude was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Hanover Central's hitters rose to the challenge against a Spartans pitching crew that boasted an average of only 1.79 runs allowed on Wednesday. Hanover Central never let North Newton onto the board and left with an 11-0 victory.
Like Illiana Christian, Hanover Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Payton Antkiewicz. She didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Antkiewicz was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
In other batting news, Sienna Stilley was a standout: she went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Gabi Comia, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with a home run and a stolen base.
Illiana Christian has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-3 record this season. As for Hanover Central, their win bumped their record up to 11-8.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Illiana Christian has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. However, it's not like Hanover Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.5. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
