Hart is 2-8 against Valencia since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Hawks will head out to challenge the Vikings at 3:15 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Hart barely beat Canyon the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Hawks never let the Cowboys get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory on Thursday. That ten-run margin sets a new team best for the Hawks this season.
Hart got a massive performance out of Naima Melendez, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. Makenzie Druez also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Valencia sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-0 win over Buena on Saturday. The victory continues a trend for the Vikings in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won four in a row.
Not much got past Keira Rand, who gave up just four hits and racked up ten Ks to keep Buena off the board.
On the hitting side, Blair Rune was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Victoria Tejeda was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run and one double.
Valencia now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Hart, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Valencia's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Hart has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Valencia, though, as they've been averaging only 4.1 strikeouts. Will Hart keep running through batters, or will the Vikings buck the trend?
Hart might still be hurting after the 10-1 defeat they got from Valencia in their previous meeting back in April of 2025. Can the Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
