Softball Game Preview: North Mac Panthers vs. Springfield Senators

The North Mac Panthers will venture away from home to square off against the Springfield Senators at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

On Monday, North Mac came up short against Litchfield and fell 7-2. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Kyana Thiebaud made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double. That double marked the first that she has hit this season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Springfield, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Taylorville on Monday, sneaking past 4-3. The win continues a trend for the Senators in their matchups with the Tornadoes: they've now won four in a row.

Mia Volpert was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.

In other batting news, Maya Bennett was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.

Springfield pushed their record up to 13-4 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for North Mac, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-17-1.

North Mac might still be hurting after the 9-1 loss they got from Springfield in their previous matchup back in April of 2021. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.