The Hebron Hawks are on the road again on Saturday to play the Portage Indians at 10:00 a.m. Portage took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Hebron, who comes in off a win.
Hebron is hoping to deliver their fans another blowout on Saturday, just like they did against Kankakee Valley (and have done all season long). Hebron was the clear victor by an 11-1 margin over Kankakee Valley on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Hebron considering their one-run performance the game before.
Brooke Cunningham made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Cunningham has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. Cunningham was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Addison Toczek was a standout: she scored two runs and stole four bases while going 3-for-4. Emily Michalak was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Wednesday just wasn't the day for Portage's offense. They lost 18-0 to Andrean on Wednesday. Having soared to a lofty 20 runs in the game before, Portage's shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Hebron is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last ten contests, which provided a massive bump to their 13-9 record this season. As for Portage, they dropped their record down to 7-13 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road.
Portage's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Hebron has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9 hits per game. It's a different story for Portage, though, as they've been averaging 10. Given Hebron's sizable advantage in that area, Portage will need to find a way to close that gap.
Hebron took their win against Portage in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 6-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hebron 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
