Softball Preview: Danville Vikings vs. Normal Community Ironmen
Danville is 0-9 against Normal Community since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Danville Vikings will head out on the road to challenge the Normal Community Ironmen at 4:30 p.m. Danville is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road.
Danville is hoping to deliver their fans another blowout on Thursday, just like they did against Centennial (and have done all season long). Danville was the clear victor by a 12-1 margin over Centennial on Monday.
Kendall Rannebarger made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Rannebarger has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances. Rannebarger was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ka'Leah Bellik, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs, and four RBI. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last five games she's played. Another player making a difference was Maya Gagnon, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, it was a hard-fought contest, but Normal Community had to settle for a 5-3 loss against Bloomington Central Catholic on Wednesday.
Carson Damery made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Danville is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a massive bump to their 8-8 record this season. As for Normal Community, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-13 record this season.
Normal Community's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Danville has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Normal Community, though, as they've been averaging 10.1. Given Danville's sizable advantage in that area, Normal Community will need to find a way to close that gap.
Danville couldn't quite finish off Normal Community in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 and fell 11-9. Can Danville avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
