Kankakee Valley is 1-9 against Hanover Central since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Kougars will challenge the Wildcats at 10:00 a.m. Kankakee Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Kankakee Valley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They walked away with a 6-2 win over Lowell. The Kougars haven't had any issues with the Red Devils recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Lucas Parker
| 05/29/25 vs Lowell | 2 |
| 05/17/25 @ South Central | 1 |
| 05/13/25 vs Lowell | 1 |
| 05/06/25 vs Highland | 1 |
| 04/18/25 vs Merrillville | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Lucas Parker, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base. Those two hits gave him a new career-high. GrayLee Weaver was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Kankakee Valley hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lowell struck out 11 times.
Meanwhile, Hanover Central got the win against Illiana Christian on Thursday by a conclusive 9-1. Considering the Wildcats have won 13 matchups by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Hanover Central also got a great performance from Matt Cook as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Cook has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Caiden Verrett was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Landon Sarkey, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Hanover Central has been performing well recently as they've won ten of their last 13 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Kankakee Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 15-12-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Kankakee Valley hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Hanover Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Kankakee Valley might still be hurting after the 6-0 defeat they got from Hanover Central in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Kougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
