Softball Game Preview: Northview Knights vs. Bloomington North Cougars

The Northview Knights will head out on the road to face off against the Bloomington North Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither Northview nor Bloomington North posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Wednesday just wasn't the day for Northview's offense. They fell 5-0 to Edgewood on Wednesday. The loss continues a trend for the Knights in their meetings with the Mustangs: they've now lost six in a row.

Northview saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Chloe Batchelor, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base. Kaylee Krause also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Meanwhile, Bloomington North was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their seventh straight defeat. They came up short against Mooresville, falling 11-2.

Bloomington North's loss dropped their record down to 4-9. As for Northview, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-8.

Bloomington North's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Northview has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.1 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Bloomington North, though, as they've been averaging only 3.6 strikeouts. Will Northview keep running through batters, or will the Cougars buck the trend?

Northview was able to grind out a solid victory over Bloomington North when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 4-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.