Softball Preview: Niles West Wolves vs. Niles North Vikings
Niles West is 9-1 against Niles North since April of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Niles West Wolves will be playing at home against the Niles North Vikings at 4:45 p.m. Niles West is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.
Niles North is hoping to do on Tuesday what Vernon Hills couldn't on Monday: put an end to Niles West's winning streak, which now stands at three games. Niles West walked away with an 11-8 victory over Vernon Hills.
Penny Hutchinson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching eight innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Hutchinson has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances. Hutchinson was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI.
In other batting news, Niles West got a massive performance out of Olivia Pukal, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. Mackenzie Bickhaus was another key contributor, scoring four runs and stealing two bases while going 4-for-5.
Meanwhile, after constant struggles on the road, Niles North has finally found some success away from home. They fell just short of Vernon Hills by a score of 8-7 on Thursday.
Niles West is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 7-6 record this season. As for Niles North, they now have a losing record at 7-8-1.
Niles West came up short against Niles North when the teams last played on April 11th, falling 8-5. Will Niles West have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
