Softball Game Preview: Neuqua Valley Wildcats vs. Benet Academy Redwings

The Neuqua Valley Wildcats will face off against the Benet Academy Redwings at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Neuqua Valley is coming into the game hot, having won their last four games.

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Neuqua Valley and Naperville North meet (six straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Wednesday. The Wildcats came out on top against the Huskies by a score of 5-2. That's two games straight that the Wildcats have won by exactly three runs.

Ava Drehs

Batters Struck Out

05/21/25 @ Naperville North	14
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
+ 19 more games

Ava Drehs spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up 14 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 24 consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Tegan Spellerberg, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Nalia Clifford, who went 2-for-4 with one home run.

Meanwhile, Benet Academy suffered their closest defeat since April 21st on Thursday. They fell just short of Plainfield East by a score of 4-2.

Benet Academy's loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-16. As for Neuqua Valley, their win bumped their record up to 16-14.

Neuqua Valley took their victory against Benet Academy in their previous meeting back in April of 2018 by a conclusive 15-3 score. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Redwings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.