Naperville Central is preparing for their first conference matchup of the season on Monday. They will host the Neuqua Valley Wildcats at 4:30 p.m.
Naperville Central is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Lockport just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Saturday. They took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Porters.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Neuqua Valley). They walked away with a 9-4 win over Wheaton Academy on Saturday.
Neuqua Valley let Mike Langan and Joe Barkley run wild. Langan went 2-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs, while Barkley went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. Those four RBI gave Barkley a new career-high. Andy Barkley was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
They weren't the only one making solid contact: Neuqua Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive games.
Neuqua Valley's victory bumped their record up to 2-5-1. As for Naperville Central, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-5.
Naperville Central beat Neuqua Valley 9-5 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Do the Redhawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
