Baseball Game Preview: Rantoul Eagles vs. Bloomington Purple Raiders

The Rantoul Eagles will take on the Bloomington Purple Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Rantoul has three straight wins, Bloomington has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

On Monday, Rantoul was able to grind out a solid victory over Lincoln, taking the game 6-1.

Levi Duitsman

Earned Runs

04/12/25 vs Salt Fork	7
04/18/25 vs Charleston	4
04/10/25 @ St. Joseph-Ogden	3
05/01/25 @ Tri-Valley	1
04/26/25 @ Urbana	1

Levi Duitsman made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over seven innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Rantoul is 5-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 10-11 otherwise. Duitsman was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Holden Cargo, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April. Yovanny Solorzano was another key player, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.

Meanwhile, Bloomington fell victim to Normal Community and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They came up short against the Ironmen, falling 10-0.

Rantoul pushed their record up to 15-12 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Bloomington, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-12.

Rantoul suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Bloomington in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will the Eagles have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.