Softball Game Preview: Illinois Valley Central Grey Ghosts vs. Paxton-Buckley-Loda Panthers

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Previous 3 Games

03/30/24 - Home	15-1 W
05/08/23 - Away	8-4 W
04/02/22 - Home	5-0 W

Illinois Valley Central is a perfect 3-0 against Paxton-Buckley-Loda since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Grey Ghosts will head out to square off against the Panthers at 11:00 a.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Illinois Valley Central has three straight victories, Paxton-Buckley-Loda has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Illinois Valley Central barely beat Princeville the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Grey Ghosts blew past the Princes 20-0 on Wednesday. Considering the Grey Ghosts have won four matchups by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.

Joharah Boze was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, three doubles, and four RBI. Abby Bazyn was another key player, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs.

Boze wasn't the only one making solid contact: Illinois Valley Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 19 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Paxton-Buckley-Loda lost 12-1 to Bloomington Central Catholic on Thursday.

Illinois Valley Central pushed their record up to 5-3 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Paxton-Buckley-Loda, their loss dropped their record down to 1-7.

Illinois Valley Central took their win against Paxton-Buckley-Loda when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 15-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Grey Ghosts since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.