Valparaiso is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Boone Grove is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Vikings will host the Wolves at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Boone Grove's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Thursday: Valparaiso hadn't allowed a single run the last three times they've hit the field. The Vikings' pitcher stepped up to hand Michigan City a 10-0 shutout on Wednesday.
Not much got past Trevor Fenters, who gave up just two hits and racked up 12 Ks to keep Michigan City off the board. Fenters has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Valparaiso let Nate Simpson and Gabe Bush run wild. Simpson got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while Bush went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI Bush has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Trent Gill, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
Valparaiso hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Michigan City struck out 12 times.
Meanwhile, Boone Grove made easy work of South Central on Monday and carried off a 16-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Wolves in their matchups with the Satellites: they've now won three in a row.
Seth Pitcock made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. Pitcock was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Boone Grove is undefeated when Pitcock posts two or more runs, but 2-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, Davian Carrera was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and one RBI. Tristan Wilson was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Valparaiso is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Boone Grove, their victory bumped their record up to 10-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Valparaiso has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Boone Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Valparaiso skirted past Boone Grove 7-5 when the teams last played back in May of 2023. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Wolves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
