Softball Game Preview: Valmeyer Pirates vs. New Athens Yellow Jackets

For the second straight game, Valmeyer will face off against New Athens. The Pirates will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Yellow Jackets at 4:30 p.m. Valmeyer's hitters haven't had much luck over their past four matches, but Thursday's contest will give them a chance to turn things around.

Tuesday just wasn't the day for Valmeyer's offense. They lost 11-0 to New Athens on Tuesday.

For New Athens' part, Bethany Dachsteiner was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts Dachsteiner has posted since back in May of 2024. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.

In other batting news, Morgan Schatte was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Jamie Wilson was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.

New Athens was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .435. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.

New Athens' victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-3. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Valmeyer, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-4.