Softball Preview: Valmeyer Pirates vs. Waterloo Bulldogs
After three games on the road, Valmeyer is heading back home. They will take on the Waterloo Bulldogs at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Valmeyer's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Sparta as Valmeyer made off with a 6-0 victory. That's two games straight that Valmeyer has won by exactly six runs.
Madilyn Huddleston made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. Huddleston was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Rylee Nagel was a standout: she scored a run while going 1-for-4. Another player making a difference was Brooke Miller, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Waterloo won against Civic Memorial on Wednesday with 12 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Friday. Waterloo was the clear victor by a 12-3 margin over Chester. The win made it back-to-back victories for Waterloo.
Like Valmeyer, Waterloo also got a great game from a two-way player: Aiden Dintelman. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. Dintelman was also big at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, Raelyn Melching was incredible, going 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and two runs. Sam Juelfs was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-5.
Valmeyer's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-3. As for Waterloo, their victory bumped their record up to 16-4.
Valmeyer's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's matchup. Valmeyer has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Waterloo, though, as they've been averaging only 1.4. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Valmeyer continue to outrun the ball?
Valmeyer might still be hurting after the 7-1 loss they got from Waterloo when the teams last played back in April of 2017. Will Valmeyer have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
