The Hanover Central Wildcats will square off against the Kankakee Valley Kougars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hanover Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.
Hanover Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They skirted past Illiana Christian 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Wildcats have posted since April 12th.
Jillian Deyoung made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off eight hits. Deyoung was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sienna Stilley, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Sienna Antkiewicz, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.
Kankakee Valley never got on the board in their matchup last Saturday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against West Central last Monday. They put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 10-1 victory. The win continues a trend for the Kougars in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won four in a row.
Like Hanover Central, Kankakee Valley also got a great game from a two-way player: Kyli Page. On the mound, Page pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Meanwhile, Jessica Beauchamp didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances. At bat, Page went 1-for-3 with one home run, while Beauchamp went 1-for-4 with one triple and one run.
In other batting news, Julia Mahmet was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three doubles. The team also got some help courtesy of Patience Cole, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Kankakee Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They are 6-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Kankakee Valley's record now sits at 14-11. As for Hanover Central, the victory snapped their losing streak at four games and leaves them with a 12-12 record.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Hanover Central hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Kankakee Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Hanover Central might still be hurting after the 9-1 defeat they got from Kankakee Valley in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
