The Bloomington South Panthers will take on the West Washington Senators at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Bloomington South has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while West Washington will arrive with five straight wins.
Bloomington South fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Columbus East on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Olympians by a score of 6-5. That's two games in a row now that the Panthers have lost by just one run.
Akasha Burton made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and fired off two home runs and four RBI while going 2-for-3. Sloane Barrett was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
West Washington came out on top against Henryville on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive five-run fifth inning. The Senators had just enough and edged out the Hornets 10-9. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Senators have posted since May 6th.
Meredith Deaton was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Layla Manship, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI.
West Washington was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .412. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .400 or higher in five consecutive contests.
West Washington's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 17-4. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Bloomington South, their loss dropped their record down to 10-6.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bloomington South hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .321. However, it's not like West Washington struggles in that department as they've averaged .362. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bloomington South skirted past West Washington 1-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Senators have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
