Softball Preview: Normal Community Ironmen vs. Moline Maroons
Normal Community and Moline are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2018, but likely not for long. The Normal Community Ironmen will head out on the road to face off against the Moline Maroons at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Moline took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Normal Community, who comes in off a win.
Normal Community will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Friday, then bounced right back against Peoria Notre Dame on Saturday. Normal Community was the clear victor by a 17-3 margin over Peoria Notre Dame.
Tessa Bittner made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Bittner has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances. Bittner was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
In other batting news, Kylee Anderson was a standout: she scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Tatum Yokley, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Moline lost 12-6 to Geneseo on Thursday.
Normal Community's victory ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-17. As for Moline, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-7.
Normal Community came out on top in a nail-biter against Moline in their previous matchup back in May of 2023, sneaking past 8-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for Normal Community since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
