Naperville North had lost three straight at home, but on Wednesday they dropped their record down to 8-22 to make it four. They fell 5-2 to the Neuqua Valley Wildcats. The Huskies were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Wildcats earlier this season, when they won 3-2.
Naperville North got a good showing from Ava Matthews, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Naperville North saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Eliza Patterson, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
As for Neuqua Valley, the win (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 16-14. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games.
On Neuqua Valley's side, Ava Drehs spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits and racked up 14 Ks. Drehs has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 24 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Tegan Spellerberg, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April of 2024. Nalia Clifford was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run.
Coming up, Naperville North will head out on the road to take on West Chicago at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Huskies' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Wildcats have averaged an impressive 6.4 runs per game this season. As for Neuqua Valley, they didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next game, a 6-5 win against Benet Academy on the 23rd.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
