Fox Valley Lutheran is 2-8 against Freedom since May of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Foxes will head out on the road to take on the Irish at 4:30 p.m. Fox Valley Lutheran is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Fox Valley Lutheran is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Wisconsin's top teams: Denmark, who was ranked 23rd at the time (Fox Valley Lutheran was ranked fifth). The Foxes had just enough and edged out the Vikings 3-1. Three seems to be a good number for the Foxes as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Madison Babcock spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on seven hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Fox Valley Lutheran saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nora Probst, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Fox Valley Lutheran hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three batters in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Freedom fell victim to Luxemburg-Casco and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 6-0 to the Spartans. The Irish haven't had much luck with the Spartans recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Fox Valley Lutheran pushed their record up to 21-0 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Freedom, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-7.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Fox Valley Lutheran hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .340. However, it's not like Freedom struggles in that department as they've averaged .323. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Fox Valley Lutheran skirted past Freedom 6-4 in their previous matchup back in April. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Foxes since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
