Softball Game Preview: Valley Vikings vs. Hope Christian Huskies

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Previous Games

04/26/24 - Home	16-1 W
04/09/24 - Away	6-13 L
04/04/23 - Away	16-1 W
04/04/23 - Away	20-0 W
04/19/22 - Away	19-1 W
+ 5 more games

Valley is 9-1 against Hope Christian since March of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Vikings will look to defend their home field against the Huskies at 4:00 p.m. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Valley has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while Hope Christian will arrive with three straight wins.

Valley came into this matchup off a tough 11-run loss last Saturday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Albuquerque Academy by a score of 7-5 on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Hope Christian hadn't done well against Albuquerque Academy recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Huskies walked away with an 8-5 victory over the Chargers.

Iliana Cordova spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and four unearned) runs on six hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Hope Christian's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Ava Jimenez, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Raelynn Michel also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Hope Christian's victory bumped their record up to 9-3. As for Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-9.

Valley took their win against Hope Christian in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 16-1 score. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Huskies turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.