Softball Game Preview: Norris City-Omaha-Enfield Fighting Cardinals vs. Galatia/Thompsonville Bearcats

Norris City-Omaha-Enfield has gone 8-2 against Galatia/Thompsonville recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Fighting Cardinals are taking a road trip to take on the Bearcats at 4:30 p.m.

Things were looking good for Norris City-Omaha-Enfield after they put the first run on the board on Monday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Zeigler-Royalton by a score of 6-5. The loss continues a trend for the Fighting Cardinals in their meetings with the Tornadoes: they've now lost four in a row.

Meanwhile, Galatia/Thompsonville had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 13-0 margin over the Redskins. Considering the Bearcats have won ten games by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.

Kailyn Kahl was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. That home run was her first of the season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hollyn McCabe, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Amilya Williford, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run.

Galatia/Thompsonville's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-6. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Norris City-Omaha-Enfield, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-8.

Norris City-Omaha-Enfield skirted past Galatia/Thompsonville 6-5 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Fighting Cardinals since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.