Portage had lost three straight at home, but on Monday they dropped their record down to 8-13 to make it four. They took a 5-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Westville Blackhawks. Having soared to a lofty 16 runs in the game before, the Indians couldn't push the score so high this time.
Hope Heldt spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Portage saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Savannah Riley, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
As for Westville, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 12-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games.
On Westville's side, Kierstin Vargas made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Vargas was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in May of 2024.
In other batting news, Kiersten Vaughan was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
Looking ahead, Portage will face off against Chesterton at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Indians' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Trojans have averaged an impressive 8.2 runs per game this season. Westville has already played their next matchup (against Hammond Morton), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
