The Amundsen Vikings will take on the Clemente Wildcats at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Amundsen is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Amundsen turned things around against Glenbrook North on Friday. They won by a run and slipped past the Spartans 7-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Vikings have posted since May 16, 2024.
Ashley Ellevog was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Araceli Condie-Espinosa was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Clemente had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Wednesday. Everything went their way against the Knights as they made off with a 21-1 victory. Considering the Wildcats have won eight matches by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Clemente got a big performance out of Talina Figueroa, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs and one stolen base. Figueroa has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaylani Sanchez, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Clemente always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .786. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .543 or higher in six consecutive contests.
Amundsen's win bumped their record up to 11-9. As for Clemente, their victory bumped their record up to 11-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Amundsen has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Clemente struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Amundsen's way against Clemente in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, as Amundsen made off with a 21-0 win. Will the Vikings repeat their success, or do the Wildcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
