Allendale is on a six-game streak of home losses dating back to last season, and Hopkins a four-game streak of away losses. However, someone's due for a change in luck on Saturday. The Allendale Falcons will welcome the Hopkins Vikings at 10:00 a.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Allendale is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Kenowa Hills on Thursday as they made off with a 26-1 win. The Falcons have beaten the Knights the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Knights has come to flipping the script.
Haven Slater made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Slater was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one triple and two RBI. That triple was her first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tessa Gunter, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with four runs and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Lexie Gunter, who got on base in four of her five plate appearances with four runs and three RBI.
Allendale was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .464. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kenowa Hills only posted a batting average of .308.
Hopkins not only won on Thursday, but they posted their biggest win since April 16th (when they won 20-0). They were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over Zeeland East.
Hopkins also got a great performance from Gracie Stallard as she pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off nine hits. Stallard has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Lyla Reynolds was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Ava Vanderkolk was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one double.
Allendale's victory bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Hopkins, their win bumped their record up to 6-7-1.
Hopkins' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Allendale has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. It's a different story for Hopkins, though, as they've been averaging 9.2 hits. Given Allendale's sizable advantage in that area, the Vikings will need to find a way to close that gap.
Allendale came out on top in a nail-biter against Hopkins in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. Do the Falcons have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
