Softball Game Preview: Kaneland Knights vs. Naperville North Huskies

The Kaneland Knights are taking a road trip to take on the Naperville North Huskies at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

Kaneland is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 16 runs on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Sycamore on Wednesday. They lost 16-1 to the Spartans. The Knights have struggled against the Spartans recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive lost meeting.

Kaneland saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Addison Coulter, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Naperville North and Neuqua Valley meet (five straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Huskies sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over the Wildcats. That's two games straight that the Huskies have won by just one run.

Gabi Chmiel spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.

Naperville North is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-16 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.3 runs over those games. As for Kaneland, their defeat dropped their record down to 13-11.