Softball Preview: Valparaiso Vikings vs. Portage Indians
Valparaiso is 8-2 against Portage since May of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. The Valparaiso Vikings will be playing in front of their home fans against the Portage Indians at 4:30 p.m. The timing isn't great for Valparaiso: they have been struggling with four straight losses at home, while Portage has snatched up three consecutive wins on the road.
Valparaiso's hitters might be in the hot seat on Wednesday considering what happened against Crown Point on Tuesday. They wound up on the wrong side of a tough 12-0 walloping at the hands of the Bulldogs. Considering the last time Valparaiso couldn't score was back in March, the team can't take the result too hard.
Meanwhile, Portage scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They never let Merrillville onto the board and left with a 16-0 win. Considering Portage has won four games by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Brooklyn Demercede made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Demercede was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Erin Fausch, who went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI. Savannah Riley was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
Valparaiso's loss dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Portage, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 6-7 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Valparaiso hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Portage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Valparaiso was able to grind out a solid victory over Portage in their previous matchup two weeks ago, winning 12-7. Will Valparaiso repeat their success, or does Portage have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
