Caldwell hasn't had much luck against Middleton recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Cougars will venture away from home to challenge the Vikings at 7:00 p.m.
Caldwell is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Thursday. They took a 5-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Nampa.
Khloe Arce spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on eight hits.
At the plate, Caldwell saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bristol Runnels, who went 2-for-3 with one double.
Meanwhile, Middleton had already won two in a row and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured an 8-7 W against the Hawks. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Vikings have posted against the Hawks since April 5, 2016.
Libby Garcia looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, Middleton let Kenadi Whitlow and Sadie Stafford run wild. Whitlow went 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI, while Stafford went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI Stafford has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Ashlynn Pohl, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Caldwell now has a losing record of 5-6. As for Middleton, their record now sits at 12-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Caldwell hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Middleton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.7 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Caldwell suffered a grim 23-4 defeat to Middleton in their previous meeting back in April of 2022. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
