The Naperville North Huskies will head out to challenge the Neuqua Valley Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The last five games Naperville North has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Naperville North fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Glenbard East on Saturday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Rams by a score of 7-6.
Naperville North got a good showing from Brandon Person, who tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That one hit allowed gave Person a new career-low.
At the plate, Brady Marino made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double was his first of the season. Caden Vorwick was another key player, going 4-for-5 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Neuqua Valley). They were the clear victors by a 14-4 margin over Jones on Friday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Wildcats considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Jake Kuehl looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Mike Langan, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Andy Barkley, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Neuqua Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. They are 4-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Naperville North now has a losing record of 12-13. As for Neuqua Valley, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 11-12-1.
Naperville North was able to grind out a solid win over Neuqua Valley in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, winning 4-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Huskies since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
