Softball Recap: Bradley-Bourbonnais Gets the Win

The scorekeeper got an easy start on Thursday as neither Bradley-Bourbonnais nor Manteno made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Boilermakers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-1 win over the Panthers. For the Boilermakers, this counts as revenge for the 9-7 victory the Panthers walked away with the last time they faced one another back in April of 2021.

Lydia Hammond

Base on Balls Against

05/15/25 @ Manteno	1
05/14/25 vs Andrew	0
05/12/25 @ Homewood-Flossmoor	2
05/09/25 vs Lincoln-Way West	1
05/08/25 vs Bishop McNamara	1
05/05/25 @ Lockport	2

Lydia Hammond was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one triple and one RBI. That triple was her first of the season.

Hammond wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Olivia Woolman, who went 1-for-4 with one run and one double.

Bradley-Bourbonnais hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in four consecutive matches.

Bradley-Bourbonnais is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-10 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Manteno, their defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 19-6.

Coming up, Bradley-Bourbonnais will head out on the road to take on Lincoln-Way Central at 5:15 p.m. on Friday. The Knights will roll in looking for their 15th straight victory, something the Boilermakers surely won't give up without a fight. As for Manteno, they will square off against Mercer County at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.