Softball Game Preview: Valley Central Vikings vs. Chester Hambletonians

The Valley Central Vikings will square off against the Chester Hambletonians at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday.

Valley Central came up short against Middletown on Monday, falling 11-5. The loss put an end to the Vikings' undefeated start to the season.

Emily Smit was cooking despite her team's loss, scoring a run while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Adrianna Ferraro, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Chester, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They never let Beacon get on the board and left with a 14-0 victory on Friday. That looming 14-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Hambletonians yet this season.

Chester pushed their record up to 3-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Valley Central, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 2-1.

Valley Central was able to grind out a solid win over Chester in their previous meeting back in May of 2021, winning 8-3. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Hambletonians have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.