Softball Game Preview: Cadillac Vikings vs. Petoskey Northmen

The Cadillac Vikings will square off against the Petoskey Northmen at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Cadillac turned things around against McBain on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 14-5 margin over the Ramblers.

Meanwhile, Petoskey strolled into their game on Thursday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured an 18-17 W against St. Francis. The Northmen's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

Bre VerCautren made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. VerCautren was even better at the plate, going 3-for-5 with six RBI, one triple, and one run. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, Petoskey got a massive performance out of Lyla Janes, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and two RBI. The dominant performance also gave Janes a new career-high in hits (two). Cora Howard was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.

Petoskey was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in four consecutive matches.

Petoskey's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-0. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 1.75 runs across that stretch. As for Cadillac, their victory bumped their record up to 2-4.

Cadillac suffered a grim 22-2 defeat to Petoskey in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.