Softball Game Preview: Valhalla Norsemen vs. Eastlake Titans

The Valhalla Norsemen will take on the Eastlake Titans in a tournament on Tuesday. Valhalla's hitters haven't had much luck over their past four contests, but Tuesday's match will give them a chance to turn things around.

Valhalla saw some tournament action on Monday. They fell just short of Cathedral Catholic by a score of 3-1.

Devyn Mack spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Preslee Fink made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Eastlake). They never let Holtville get on the board and left with a 12-0 victory on Saturday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.

Camila Castillo looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched.

At the plate, Deziree Gomez was a standout: she went 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Chloe Cruz, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in both of her plate appearances.

Eastlake always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .536. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

The victory made it two in a row for Eastlake and bumps their season record up to 7-2-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Valhalla, they now have a losing record of 5-6.