The Grand Valley Mustangs will face off against the Maplewood Rockets at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Maplewood took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Grand Valley, who comes in off a win.
If Grand Valley beats Maplewood with ten runs on Monday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Mustangs never let Bloomfield get on the board and left with a 10-0 win on Wednesday. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Cardinals recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Natilly Hostetler was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over six innings pitched. Hostetler was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maddie Lowry-Stark, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs. Breanna Rowland was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Grand Valley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Maplewood has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 2.62 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Saturday. They lost 12-3 to Geneva. The contest marked the Rockets' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Claire Urchek was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Grand Valley's win bumped their record up to 4-5. As for Maplewood, their defeat ended a nine-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 11-2.
Monday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Grand Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. However, it's not like Maplewood struggles in that department as they've averaged .363. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Grand Valley came up short against Maplewood when the teams last played back in March, falling 6-1. Will the Mustangs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
