Kankakee Valley outhit Portage and carried a late lead, but the Indians rallied in the bottom of the seventh to win 5–4 on Thursday, May 21, at Portage High School.
The Kougars struck quickly in the first inning. Mallorie Rose lined an RBI single down the left‑field line, and Patience Cole added a sacrifice fly to put KV ahead 2–0. Portage answered with two runs in the bottom half, but the Kougars regained the lead in the fifth when Jessica Beauchamp singled in a run. KV extended its advantage to 4–2 in the sixth, setting up a tense finish.
Portage tied the game in the seventh on Hayden Orosz’s RBI single, then won it on Lillyanna Jennings’ two‑run triple.
Offensively, Danielle Gidley led the Kougars with three hits, while Beauchamp, Rose, and Cole each drove in a run. Julia Mahmet added two hits as KV finished with 11 hits total, outpacing Portage’s nine.
In the circle, Beauchamp worked four innings, allowing two unearned runs on four hits while striking out four and issuing no walks. Rose pitched the final two frames, striking out four but yielding three runs.
The Kougars showcased timely hitting and strong pitching in a competitive road contest, even with the walk‑off finish.
