Softball Game Preview: Valley City Hi-Liners vs. Shanley Deacons

Hi-Liners

Runs

04/24/25 vs Fargo South	13
04/22/25 vs Sheyenne	0
04/15/25 @ Devils Lake	23
04/04/25 vs Thompson	5

The Valley City Hi-Liners will head out on the road to challenge the Shanley Deacons at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Valley City is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.2 runs per game this season.

Valley City will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Fargo South on Thursday. The Hi-Liners' pitchers stepped up to hand the Bruins a 13-0 shutout. The Hi-Liners haven't had any issues with the Bruins recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive victory against them.

The team relied heavily on Bailey Leroux, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was her first of the season. Ashlynn Hartsell was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

Valley City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fargo South only posted an OBP of .364.

Meanwhile, Shanley got the win against Devils Lake on Friday by a conclusive 9-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Deacons.

Shanley's win bumped their record up to 2-0. As for Valley City, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.

Valley City was able to grind out a solid win over Shanley in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, winning 19-14. Will the Hi-Liners repeat their success, or do the Deacons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.