The Cape Henlopen Vikings will challenge the Polytech Panthers at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Cape Henlopen comes in on 16 and Polytech on seven.
Cape Henlopen is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Delaware's top teams: Smyrna, who was ranked tenth at the time (Cape Henlopen was ranked first). The Vikings blew past the Eagles 10-2 on Tuesday. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 games by seven runs or more this season.
Abby Marsh spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits and racked up seven Ks.
Ava Calciano
| 05/06/25 vs Smyrna | 2 |
| 05/03/25 vs Caravel Academy | 1 |
| 04/30/25 @ Delmarva Christian | 1 |
| 05/23/24 vs Polytech | 1 |
| 05/23/24 vs Polytech | 1 |
On the hitting side, Ava Calciano was incredible, firing off two home runs, two stolen bases, and three runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Alivia Heers, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Polytech). They put the hurt on Dover with a sharp 22-1 win on Tuesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Polytech got a massive performance out of Riley Brown, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with three runs and two RBI. Addison Sapp also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.
Polytech's win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-2. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Cape Henlopen, their record now sits at 16-0.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Cape Henlopen has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .508. However, it's not like Polytech struggles in that department as they've averaged .434. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Cape Henlopen's way against Polytech in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Cape Henlopen made off with an 8-2 win. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
