Softball Game Preview: Bloomington Central Catholic Saints vs. Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts

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Previous Games

04/03/24 - Home	1-14 L
04/05/23 - Away	1-0 W
04/27/22 - Home	4-0 W
04/30/21 - Away	1-4 L
05/07/19 - Home	7-6 W
+ 5 more games

Bloomington Central Catholic is 8-2 against Illinois Valley Central since March of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Saints are taking a road trip to challenge the Grey Ghosts at 4:30 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

Having struggled with three defeats in a row, Bloomington Central Catholic turned things around against Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 17-7 margin over the Falcons.

Meanwhile, Illinois Valley Central entered their tilt with Annawan-Wethersfield on Tuesday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They never let the Titans get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory. The Grey Ghosts might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by ten runs or more this season.

Jensyn Gustafson made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Taylor Zannacker, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one double. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. Joharah Boze was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.

Illinois Valley Central pushed their record up to 7-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Bloomington Central Catholic, their record is now 9-3.

Bloomington Central Catholic suffered a grim 14-1 defeat to Illinois Valley Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Saints avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.