Softball Game Preview: Iola-Scandinavia Thunderbirds vs. Amherst Falcons

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Previous Games

05/06/24 - Home	7-13 L
04/11/24 - Away	6-0 W
05/08/23 - Away	5-8 L
04/13/23 - Home	10-13 L
05/02/19 - Home	4-1 W
+ 5 more games

Iola-Scandinavia and Amherst are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Thunderbirds will host the Falcons at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.

Iola-Scandinavia is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 14 runs last Thursday, they were much more limited against Winneconne on Friday. They came up short against the Wolves, falling 17-1. The Thunderbirds haven't had much luck with the Wolves recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.

Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Amherst ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past New London 5-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Falcons.

Sam Nooyen made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over eight innings pitched. Nooyen was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aubrey Chandler, who scored a run while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.

Amherst pushed their record up to 2-0 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.2 runs over those games. As for Iola-Scandinavia, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-1.

Iola-Scandinavia suffered a grim 13-7 defeat to Amherst when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Thunderbirds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.