Middleton is on a ten-game streak of home wins, while Vallivue is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Vikings will welcome the Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Middleton will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.
Middleton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Idaho's top teams: Nampa, who was ranked 16th at the time (Middleton was ranked fifth). The Vikings blew past the Bulldogs 14-1 on Wednesday. Considering the Vikings have won ten contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Middleton got a great performance from Libby Garcia as she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Garcia has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Kenadi Whitlow was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Aysha Fried, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Middleton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Nampa only posted a batting average of .167.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Vallivue took on Skyview on Wednesday. The Falcons sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 8-7 win over the Hawks.
The team relied heavily on Sophia Kassotis, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Abbie Egglston was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Middleton has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Vallivue, their win bumped their record up to 14-4.
Thursday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Middleton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .352. However, it's not like Vallivue struggles in that department as they've averaged .439. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Middleton couldn't quite finish off Vallivue in their previous meeting back in March and fell 11-9. Will the Vikings 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.
