The New Prairie Cougars will be staying on the road on Monday to face off against the Valparaiso Vikings at 6:00 p.m. New Prairie will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
New Prairie is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Indiana's top teams: Chesterton, who was ranked 15th in their home state at the time (New Prairie was ranked 17th). New Prairie won by a run and slipped past Chesterton 12-11. New Prairie's win was all the more impressive since Chesterton was averaging only 2.6 runs allowed on the season.
Brody Traxler was incredible, scoring three runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Sullivan Kress was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base.
Meanwhile, Valparaiso waltzed into their game on Friday with 12 straight wins... but they left with 13. They put the hurt on the Redskins with a sharp 10-0 victory. Considering Valparaiso has won nine matches by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Caden Crowell was incredible, going 3-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Edward Curry, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
New Prairie has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 21-5 record this season. As for Valparaiso, their win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 20-2.
Monday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. New Prairie has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .458. However, it's not like Valparaiso struggles in that department as they've averaged .436. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
New Prairie was able to grind out a solid victory over Valparaiso in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, winning 5-2. Will New Prairie repeat their success, or does Valparaiso have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
