The Bloomington South Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Shakamak Lakers at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Bloomington South was handed a seven-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Martinsville 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since May 2, 2024.
Rachel Johnson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits.
On the hitting side, Carly Reed was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Sloane Barrett, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Shakamak got the win against Loogootee on Friday by a conclusive 9-3.
Shakamak also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Brylee Wilson gave up just two earned (and one unearned) runs on five hits.
At the plate, Madelyn Kennett and Matt Hill did most of the damage at the plate: Kennett scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Hill went 1-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Clara Barner was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4.
Bloomington South pushed their record up to 1-1 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Shakamak, the victory also got them back to even at 1-1.
Everything went Bloomington South's way against Shakamak when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Bloomington South made off with a 6-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
