vs
| 05/10/24 - Home | 5-0 W |
| 04/29/24 - Away | 2-12 L |
| 04/19/24 - Home | 9-0 W |
| 05/11/23 - Home | 5-2 W |
| 04/24/23 - Away | 8-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Neuqua Valley is 9-1 against DeKalb since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Wildcats will face off against the Barbs at 4:30 p.m. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Neuqua Valley made up a huge gap compared to their last game against South Elgin, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Wildcats fell just short of the Storm by a score of 5-3 on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Wildcats have suffered since April 27, 2024.
Neuqua Valley got a good showing from Ava Drehs, who tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Drehs has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Neuqua Valley saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tegan Spellerberg, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases. Ashley Pape was another, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, DeKalb scored first but ultimately less than Naperville Central in their matchup on Wednesday. They took an 8-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Redhawks. The Barbs have struggled against the Redhawks recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive lost meeting.
Madison Hallaron was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That double was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Ayla Gould, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
This is the second loss in a row for Neuqua Valley and nudges their season record down to 5-8. As for DeKalb, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 8-3.
Neuqua Valley was able to grind out a solid victory over DeKalb when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 5-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
