The Neuqua Valley Wildcats will challenge the Oswego East Wolves at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Neuqua Valley has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Neuqua Valley turned things around against Naperville Central on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past the Redhawks 3-1. The game snapped a strange streak: the last four times these teams have met, it?s been the away team that?s taken home the W.
Ava Drehs spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Neuqua Valley saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nalia Clifford, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, Oswego East earned an 11-6 win over Joliet West on Thursday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wolves.
Oswego East let Lundin Cornelius and Allie Gatz run wild. Cornelius went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, while Gatz went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs. That's the most hits Cornelius has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Katie Maday, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Oswego East's victory bumped their record up to 15-10. As for Neuqua Valley, the win got them back to even at 12-12.
Oswego East's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Neuqua Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Oswego East, though, as they've been averaging only 3.6 strikeouts. Will Neuqua Valley keep running through batters, or will the Wolves buck the trend?
Neuqua Valley came up short against Oswego East in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 9-4. Will the Wildcats have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
