Softball Game Preview: Normal University Pioneers vs. Bloomington Purple Raiders

The Normal University Pioneers are taking a road trip to face off against the Bloomington Purple Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Neither of those teams managed to put together many runs in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.

Normal University can't be to happy about their upcoming road game considering what happened when they opened their season on the away from home on Tuesday. They came up short against Seneca, falling 7-1.

Normal University saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nicole Ekhoff, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Bloomington wound up with the same score they had in their last game (3-1), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat they have suffered against the Panthers since June 10, 2021.

Reilly Vetter spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in May of 2024.

Normal University was able to grind out a solid victory over Bloomington in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, winning 5-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Normal University since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.