The Westville Blackhawks are taking a road trip to square off against the Wheeler Bearcats at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Westville's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Tri-Township 13-0. The Blackhawks haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Kierstin Vargas
| 05/07/25 vs Tri-Township | 12 |
| 05/05/25 vs Knox | 8 |
| 05/03/25 @ Hammond Central | 5 |
| 04/30/25 @ Culver Community | 12 |
| 04/28/25 @ Kouts | 17 |
| + 5 more games |
Kierstin Vargas made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kiersten Vaughan, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. 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. Maddison Cole also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Westville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Tri-Township only posted an OBP of .111.
Meanwhile, Wheeler made easy work of Lake Station Edison on Tuesday and carried off a 13-0 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bearcats.
Like Westville, Wheeler also got a great game from a two-way player: Nora Howell. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts Howell has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Olivia Hessling was a standout: she went a perfect 2-for-2 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs. Those two triples gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Abby Allen, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Wheeler's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-4. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.2 runs over those games. As for Westville, their record is now 9-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Westville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Wheeler struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
