Softball Preview: North Newton Spartans vs. Illiana Christian Vikings
The North Newton Spartans are on the road again on Saturday to play the Illiana Christian Vikings at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
North Newton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They never let Hammond Bishop Noll onto the board and left with a 6-0 victory. Considering North Newton has won 12 matches by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
The result came thanks to Sydney Rainford's shutout, as she gave up just four hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brynn Christenson, who went 1-for-2 with a home run and a stolen base. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of June Busboom, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Illiana Christian earned a 5-0 win over Andrean on Wednesday.
The result came thanks to Mikayla Derks's shutout, as she gave up just four hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Libby Kreykes, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. Alyssa Mulder was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with a home run.
North Newton is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 19-3 record this season. As for Illiana Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 19-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Newton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Illiana Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
North Newton couldn't quite finish off Illiana Christian in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 and fell 2-0. Can North Newton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
