The Illiana Christian Vikings will head out on the road to take on the Marian Catholic Spartans at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Illiana Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11.6 runs per game this season.
Last Tuesday, Illiana Christian was able to grind out a solid victory over Whiting, taking the game 5-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for Illiana Christian.
Isaac VanderWoude was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Nick Neri, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Marian Catholic was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their ninth straight defeat. They fell just short of Glenbrook North by a score of 4-3.
Matt Gonzalez was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI, and a double.
Illiana Christian's win bumped their record up to 11-3. As for Marian Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 6-19.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Illiana Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Marian Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Illiana Christian took their victory against Marian Catholic when the teams last played back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 10-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Illiana Christian since the team 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
