Softball Game Preview: Spring Valley Cardinals vs. Boyceville Bulldogs

The Spring Valley Cardinals will head out on the road to take on the Boyceville Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

Spring Valley lost 9-2 to Glenwood City on Thursday. The defeat continues a trend for the Cardinals in their meetings with the Hilltoppers: they've now lost six in a row.

Spring Valley saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Addison Nelson, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Boyceville came out on top against Durand-Arkansaw on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run fourth inning. The Bulldogs never let the Panthers get on the board and left with an 8-0 win. Considering the Bulldogs have won five matchups by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

Aubrey Malean made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lilly Lain, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those two RBI gave her a new career-high.

Boyceville is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.8 runs over those games. As for Spring Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 2-11.

Spring Valley might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Boyceville in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Cardinals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.