Highland is 6-1 against Valparaiso since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Highland Trojans will head out on the road to take on the Valparaiso Vikings at 4:30 p.m. Highland has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with six straight losses, while Valparaiso will come in with ten straight victories.
On Saturday, Highland didn't have quite enough to beat Chesterton and fell 3-2.
Kyle Stacy was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over 5.2 innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Highland saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caden VanderMeyden, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Another player making a difference was Ryan Gordon, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with a stolen base.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Valparaiso ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They came out on top against Elkhart by a score of 7-4.
Adler Holtz made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits (and not a single walk). Holtz was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
In other batting news, Trent Gill was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Matthew Civanich was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing three bases.
Highland's defeat dropped their record down to 6-17. As for Valparaiso, they pushed their record up to 17-2 with that win, which was their fourth straight on the road.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Highland has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Valparaiso struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Highland skirted past Valparaiso 10-9 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Highland since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
