The Normal West Wildcats are taking a road trip to take on the Normal Community Ironmen at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
On Friday, Normal West didn't have quite enough to beat Olympia and fell 3-2. The defeat continues a trend for the Wildcats in their meetings with the Spartans: they've now lost four in a row.
Rylee Hollings was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
Meanwhile, Normal Community had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.2 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven on Friday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 4-3 W against the Saints. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Avery Anderson tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Bailey Engel, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Normal Community pushed their record up to 11-9 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.1 runs over those games. As for Normal West, their loss dropped their record down to 7-12.
Normal West skirted past Normal Community 7-6 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
