Baseball Game Preview: Metamora Redbirds vs. Bloomington Purple Raiders

The Metamora Redbirds will venture away from home to take on the Bloomington Purple Raiders at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Neither Metamora nor Bloomington posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Metamora fell victim to Morton and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Potters by a score of 1-0. The Redbirds just can't catch a break and have now endured three defeats in a row.

Stephen Petri

Base on Balls Against

04/16/25 @ Morton	2
03/28/25 vs Peoria Notre Dame	2
03/21/25 @ Rock Island	1

Stephen Petri put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over 6.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one triple. That triple was his first of the season.

In other batting news, Cole Smith was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one triple. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.

Meanwhile, Bloomington was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They lost 11-1 to Geneseo.

Metamora's record now sits at 4-8. As for Bloomington, their record is now 8-6.

Metamora skirted past Bloomington 10-8 in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Will the Redbirds repeat their success, or do the Purple Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.