Softball Game Preview: Bloomington Purple Raiders vs. Washington Panthers

The Bloomington Purple Raiders will venture away from home to take on the Washington Panthers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Bloomington's pitching crew has only allowed 1.4 runs per game this season, so Washington's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Friday just wasn't the day for Bloomington's offense. They fell just short of Normal Community by a score of 2-0 on Friday. The Purple Raiders haven't had much luck with the Ironmen recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.

Reilly Vetter spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on zero hits and racked up 13 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Bloomington saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lauren Nichols, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.

Meanwhile, Washington had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. Everything went their way against Morton on Tuesday as they made off with a 14-4 victory. The win was nothing new for the Panthers as they're now sitting on 16 straight.

Washington pushed their record up to 30-2 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Bloomington, their loss dropped their record down to 15-4.

Bloomington couldn't quite finish off Washington in their previous matchup back in March and fell 3-1. Can the Purple Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.