The Portage Indians are taking a road trip to challenge the Hanover Central Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Hanover Central took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Portage, who comes in off a win.
While Portage's victory against Valparaiso wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Indians skirted past the Vikings 10-9. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Indians have posted since April 15, 2024.
Breanna Reed
| 04/30/25 vs Valparaiso | 4 |
| 04/08/25 vs Merrillville | 3 |
| 04/29/25 @ Merrillville | 2 |
| 04/23/25 vs Michigan City | 2 |
| 04/21/25 @ Chesterton | 1 |
Portage got a big performance out of Breanna Reed, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with four runs. Those four runs gave Reed a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cora Kingrey, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
Portage kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in four consecutive contests.
Illiana Christian hit Hanover Central with a five-run fourth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Wildcats took an 8-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Vikings.
Brooklyn Oostman and Sienna Stilley stepped up to the plate in a big way. Oostman went 3-for-4 with two runs and one triple, while Stilley went 1-for-3 with one home run. Stilley has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last three times she's played.
Portage is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Hanover Central, their loss was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 7-5.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Portage hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Hanover Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Portage suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Hanover Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2022. Can the Indians avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
