The Naperville North Huskies will head out to square off against the Neuqua Valley Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Naperville North will be strutting in after a win while Neuqua Valley will be coming in after a loss.
While Naperville North's victory against Waubonsie Valley wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Huskies had just enough and edged out the Warriors 4-3.
The team relied heavily on Eliza Patterson, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. Another player making a difference was Reese Pedersen, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Neuqua Valley suffered their closest defeat since April 19th on Monday. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (5-3), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. Their loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Neuqua Valley also got a good showing from Ava Drehs, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Drehs has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Krista Waldusky was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two RBI and one double.
Neuqua Valley's defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 7-1 and their overall record down to 11-10. As for Naperville North, their win bumped their record up to 6-16.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Naperville North has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Neuqua Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Naperville North came up short against Neuqua Valley in their previous meeting two weeks ago, falling 11-7. Can the Huskies avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
