Softball Recap: Champaign Central Gets the Win

Champaign Central had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They came out on top against the Rantoul Eagles by a score of 4-1 on Wednesday. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 15-0 back in April.

Haley Helm

Batters Struck Out

05/28/25 vs Rantoul	10
05/23/25 vs Danville	8
05/15/25 @ Normal Community	9
05/12/25 @ Normal West	11
05/10/25 vs Peoria Notre Dame	15
+ 11 more games

Haley Helm made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in 16 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Molly Kloeppel, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since May 3rd. Grace Bandy was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.

The win made it two in a row for Champaign Central and bumps their season record up to 24-3. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 1 runs in those games. As for Rantoul, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 10-16 record this season.

Champaign Central will be playing at home against Mahomet-Seymour at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Maroons' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Bulldogs have averaged an impressive 6.5 runs per game this season. Rantoul does not have any more games scheduled as of now.