Baseball Preview: Neuqua Valley Wildcats vs. DeKalb Barbs
Neuqua Valley is 8-1 against DeKalb since May of 2021, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Neuqua Valley Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the DeKalb Barbs at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Neuqua Valley finally turned things around against Jones on Saturday. Neuqua Valley's pitcher stepped up to hand Jones an 11-0 shutout. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest victory Neuqua Valley has managed all season.
Daniel Kim tossed a big game, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Will Zalabak was incredible, going 3-for-3 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Matt Knapczyk, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, DeKalb won against Naperville Central on Tuesday with five runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. DeKalb walked away with a 5-1 win over Naperville Central. The victory made it back-to-back wins for DeKalb.
Jackson Kees spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up ten Ks.
On the hitting side, DeKalb saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nik Nelson, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Neuqua Valley's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-16. As for DeKalb, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-9 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Neuqua Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like DeKalb struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Neuqua Valley took their win against DeKalb in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 11-0. Does Neuqua Valley have another victory up their sleeve, or will DeKalb turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
