Softball Game Preview: Neuqua Valley Wildcats vs. DeKalb Barbs

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Previous Games

04/21/25 - Away	9-2 W
05/10/24 - Home	5-0 W
04/29/24 - Away	2-12 L
04/19/24 - Home	9-0 W
05/11/23 - Home	5-2 W
+ 5 more games

Neuqua Valley has gone 9-1 against DeKalb recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. The Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Barbs at 4:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Neuqua Valley has three straight wins, DeKalb has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Neuqua Valley is headed into the match having just posted their closest victory since March 26th on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Rock Island 5-3.

Ava Drehs spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up 11 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ashley Pape, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Esha Argawal, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI.

Sycamore hit DeKalb with a five-run third inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Barbs came up short against the Spartans, falling 11-3.

Alaynna Johnson was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-2 with three RBI and one triple.

DeKalb now has a losing record of 8-9. As for Neuqua Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 11-9.

DeKalb's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Neuqua Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for DeKalb, though, as they've been averaging only 4.1 strikeouts. Will Neuqua Valley keep running through batters, or will the Barbs buck the trend?

Neuqua Valley took their win against DeKalb in their previous matchup two weeks ago by a conclusive 9-2 score. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Barbs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.