Softball Game Preview: Middleton Vikings vs. Columbia Wildcats

Middleton has gone a perfect 9-0 against Columbia recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Vikings will challenge the Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Middleton has four straight victories, Columbia has 29 straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Middleton is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Caldwell on Friday as they made off with a 21-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Vikings, who have now won eight matches by six runs or more so far this season.

Natalie Miklancic

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/04/25 vs Caldwell	5
03/22/25 vs Fruitland	3
03/15/25 @ Wood River	3
03/27/24 vs Bishop Kelly	3
03/23/24 vs Moscow	3

Natalie Miklancic was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Sydney Qualls, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3.

Middleton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Caldwell only posted an OBP of .238.

Meanwhile, Columbia fell victim to Skyview and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 18-0 to the Hawks, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior.

Middleton pushed their record up to 13-2 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Columbia, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-9.

Middleton beat Columbia 11-8 in their previous matchup back in May of 2022. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.