Softball Game Preview: Litchfield Purple Panthers vs. Southwestern Piasa Birds

Litchfield is 1-8 against Southwestern since April of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Purple Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Piasa Birds at 4:30 p.m.

Litchfield is headed into Friday's matchup looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Tuesday. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 1-0 heartbreaker at the hands of Carlinville.

Litchfield saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Chloe Green, who went 1-for-3 with one double.

Meanwhile, Southwestern waltzed into their contest on Thursday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Raiders 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Piasa Birds have posted since April 9, 2024.

The team relied heavily on Vivian Zurheide, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Madison Fenstermaker, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI and one run.

Southwestern kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in seven consecutive games.

Southwestern's win bumped their record up to 7-3-1. As for Litchfield, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-6.