| 04/04/25 - Home | 21-0 W |
| 04/26/22 - Away | 23-4 W |
| 04/05/22 - Home | 16-6 W |
| 04/27/21 - Home | 27-9 W |
| 04/06/21 - Away | 22-2 W |
| + 5 more games |
Middleton has gone a perfect 10-0 against Caldwell recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Vikings will take on the Cougars at 5:00 p.m. Middleton is coming into the game hot, having won their last four games.
Middleton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Idaho's top teams: Vallivue, who was ranked 17th at the time (Middleton was ranked fifth). The Vikings had just enough and edged out the Falcons 8-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Vikings have posted against the Falcons since March 12, 2020.
The team relied heavily on Kenadi Whitlow, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three RBI, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Sadie Stafford, who went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Caldwell hadn't done well against Emmett recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Cougars were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Huskies.
Bristol Runnels spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up ten Ks.
At the plate, Caldwell got a massive performance out of Ruby Balderaz, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most hits Balderaz has posted since back in March. Rylie Felton was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI.
Caldwell was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .472. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Middleton pushed their record up to 18-3 with the victory, which was their 11th straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for Caldwell, their victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-10.
Middleton's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's matchup. The Vikings have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Caldwell, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Middleton continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went Middleton's way against Caldwell in their previous meeting two weeks ago, as Middleton made off with a 21-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
