Softball Game Preview: DeKalb Barbs vs. Metea Valley Mustangs

DeKalb is 1-9 against Metea Valley since April of 2022 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Barbs will venture away from home to challenge the Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. Neither of those teams managed to put together many runs in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when DeKalb and Neuqua Valley meet (two straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Monday. The Barbs took a 4-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Wildcats.

Jasmine Rodriguez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on six hits and racked up 11 Ks.

On the hitting side, DeKalb saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Isabel Aranda, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

Naperville Central hit Metea Valley with a eight-run second inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mustangs lost 9-2 to the Redhawks. The Mustangs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Metea Valley's defeat dropped their record down to 6-19. As for DeKalb, their loss dropped their record down to 15-14.

DeKalb took their victory against Metea Valley when the teams last played two weeks ago by a conclusive 8-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Barbs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.