Tippecanoe Valley is 2-7 against NorthWood since March of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Vikings will challenge the Panthers at 5:30 p.m. Tippecanoe Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
Tippecanoe Valley fell victim to Glenn and their airtight pitching crew on Saturday. They fell just short of the Falcons by a score of 1-0. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Vikings' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Dalynne Bussard
| 05/24/25 vs Glenn | 17 |
| 05/22/25 vs Jimtown | 8 |
| 05/17/25 @ Fairfield | 11 |
Dalynne Bussard spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up 17 Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only NorthWood walked away with it. They were the clear victors by a 16-2 margin over the Chargers on Monday. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matches by ten runs or more this season.
Ana Beachy made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Beachy was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Victoria Vega, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Payton Sears, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
NorthWood always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .686. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The win (which was NorthWood's fourth in a row) raised their record to 15-8. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Tippecanoe Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 11-10.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Tuesday. Tippecanoe Valley hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like NorthWood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.3 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Tippecanoe Valley couldn't quite get it done against NorthWood in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 as they fell 3-0. Can the Vikings avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
