Boone Grove hasn't had much luck against Valparaiso recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Wolves will venture away from home to take on the Vikings at 4:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Boone Grove comes in on ten and Valparaiso on six.
Boone Grove's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They put the hurt on South Central with a sharp 16-0 victory. The Wolves might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by nine runs or more this season.
Seth Pitcock
| 04/16/25 @ Lowell | 4 |
| 05/05/25 @ South Central | 3 |
| 05/01/25 @ Hobart | 3 |
| 04/28/25 vs Morgan Township | 3 |
| 04/21/25 @ Westville | 3 |
| + 6 more games |
Seth Pitcock made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. He has become a key player for Boone Grove: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Davian Carrera, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and one RBI. Tyler Kollasch also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Boone Grove kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in seven consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Valparaiso put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Michigan City as they made off with a 10-0 win. Considering the Vikings have won eight games by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
The result came thanks to Trevor Fenters's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up 12 Ks.
On the hitting side, Nate Simpson and Gabe Bush did most of the damage at the plate: 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. Those two stolen bases gave Simpson a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Trent Gill, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
Boone Grove's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-4. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Valparaiso, their record now sits at 12-5.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Boone Grove has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .469. However, it's not like Valparaiso struggles in that department as they've averaged .434. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Boone Grove couldn't quite finish off Valparaiso when the teams last played back in May of 2023 and fell 7-5. Can the Wolves avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
