Mustangs
| 04/16/25 vs Naperville North | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Neuqua Valley | 6 |
| 04/12/25 @ Hinsdale South | 19 |
| 04/10/25 vs Waubonsie Valley | 7 |
| 04/08/25 vs Oswego East | 8 |
| + 8 more games |
The Metea Valley Mustangs will challenge the Naperville Central Redhawks at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Metea Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.
Metea Valley took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They never let Naperville North get on the board and left with a 2-0 win. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Huskies recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Not much got past Charlie Benesh, who gave up just three hits and racked up 12 Ks to keep Naperville North off the board. Benesh has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Metea Valley's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Maielle Ernser, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Naperville Central suffered their biggest defeat since May 18, 2024 on Saturday. They lost 11-5 to St. Charles North. The Redhawks have struggled against the North Stars recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meeting.
Cali Lenz made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run marked the first that she has launched this season. Jamie Saran was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Metea Valley's victory was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 4-9. As for Naperville Central, they now have a losing record of 7-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Metea Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Naperville Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Metea Valley was able to grind out a solid win over Naperville Central when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 6-2. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Redhawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
