The Grand Valley Mustangs will take on the Badger Braves at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Grand Valley has given up an average of 9 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Grand Valley fell victim to Maplewood and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They lost 15-0 to the Rockets. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Mustangs' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Grand Valley saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Natilly Hostetler, who went 1-for-2 with one double. That double marked the first that Hostetler has hit this season.
Meanwhile, Badger got themselves on the board against Harding on Monday, but Harding never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Skippers with a sharp 15-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Braves in their matchups with the Skippers: they've now won nine in a row.
Samantha Bradbury made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Bradbury was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with four runs, two doubles, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Reghan Broadwater was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Sarah Miller, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Badger was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .440. They are 4-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Badger's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-5. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Grand Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Grand Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Badger struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Grand Valley came up short against Badger in their previous matchup back in April of 2019, falling 11-6. Will the Mustangs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
