Softball Game Preview: DeKalb Barbs vs. Metea Valley Mustangs

DeKalb is on a four-game streak of home losses, and Metea Valley a four-game streak of away losses. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Wednesday. The DeKalb Barbs will welcome the Metea Valley Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. DeKalb will be strutting in after a win while Metea Valley will be coming in after a defeat.

Having struggled with six losses in a row, DeKalb turned things around against Neuqua Valley on Monday. They skirted past the Wildcats 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Barbs have posted since March 28th.

Jasmine Rodriguez

Batters Struck Out

04/16/25 vs Naperville Central	1
04/03/25 @ Hampshire	3
04/25/25 vs Naperville North	3
05/02/25 vs Sycamore	3
04/12/25 vs Stillman Valley	4

Jasmine Rodriguez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on five hits and racked up 11 Ks. Those 11 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Cassidy Cavazos, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.

Naperville Central hit Metea Valley with a four-run fourth inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mustangs lost 11-1 to the Redhawks. That's two games in a row now that the Mustangs have lost by exactly ten runs.

Metea Valley saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Maielle Ernser, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.

Metea Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 5-14. As for DeKalb, the win got them back to even at 9-9.