Softball Recap: Neuqua Valley Extends Winning Streak to Three

Neuqua Valley extended their winning streak to three on Monday, bumping their season record up to 15-14 in the process. They walked away with a 4-1 win over the DeKalb Barbs. Surprisingly, this marked the Wildcats' third straight game in which the away team has come away the victor.

Ava Drehs

Batters Struck Out

05/19/25 @ DeKalb	14
05/16/25 vs Waubonsie Valley	11
05/14/25 vs Metea Valley	18
05/12/25 @ Naperville Central	6
05/09/25 vs Oswego East	7
+ 18 more games

Ava Drehs spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up 14 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 23 consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Nalia Clifford was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. She has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times she's played. Another player making a difference was Krista Waldusky, who went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.

As for DeKalb, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 15-14 record this season. As for they, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 15-14.

On DeKalb's side, they also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Jasmine Rodriguez gave up just two earned (and two unearned) runs on six hits and racked up 11 Ks.

At the plate, 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.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Neuqua Valley is set to challenge their familiar foe Naperville North at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Meanwhile, DeKalb will square off against rival Metea Valley at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.