The Reedsville Panthers will venture away from home to square off against the Valders Vikings at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Reedsville is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Kiel just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 5-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Raiders. Having soared to a lofty 14 runs in the game before, the Panthers couldn't push the score so high this time.
Kayla Bubolz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned runs on 12 hits and racked up six Ks.
On the hitting side, Reedsville saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Josee Busse, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases. Clare Delsman also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Valders came tearing into Thursday's matchup with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Purple Raiders by a score of 5-2.
Megan Hochkammer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 16 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Makayla Dallas was excellent, going 1-for-2 with two runs and one triple. Another player making a difference was Arianna Hernandez, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Valders pushed their record up to 13-5 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Reedsville, their loss dropped their record down to 8-10.
Valders' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Reedsville has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .444. It's a different story for Valders, though, as they've only averaged .346. Will they be able to contain Reedsville's hitters?
Reedsville suffered a grim 11-2 defeat to Valders in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
