The Hanover Central Wildcats will head out on the road to take on the Illiana Christian Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hanover Central took a loss when they played away from home last Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They never let North Newton onto the board and left with an 11-0 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Hanover Central considering their one-run performance the match before.
Payton Antkiewicz made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. Antkiewicz has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Antkiewicz was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
In other batting news, Hanover Central got a massive performance out of Sienna Stilley, who went 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. Kaitlin Duffy was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Illiana Christian had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They put the hurt on the Warriors with a sharp 14-4 victory.
Like Hanover Central, Illiana Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Mikayla Derks. On the mound, Derks tossed three innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Cayden Peterson tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. At the plate, Derks went 2-for-2 with two doubles, while Peterson went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Avery Martin was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Lydia VanderWoude, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-4.
Hanover Central's record is now 11-8. As for Illiana Christian, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-3.
Both the pair just can't seem to miss. Hanover Central has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.4 hits per game. However, it's not like Illiana Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.5. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hanover Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Illiana Christian in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hanover Central since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
