Bloomington South is on a six-game streak of home wins, while Franklin Community is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Panthers will welcome the Grizzly Cubs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Bloomington South 3.1, Franklin Community 2.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
If Bloomington South beats Franklin Community with five runs on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Panthers came out on top against Southport by a score of 5-1 on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Cardinals: they've now won four in a row.
Collin Marcum
| 05/07/25 @ Southport | 11 |
| 04/22/25 vs Terre Haute South Vigo | 7 |
| 04/08/25 vs Jasper | 7 |
| 03/30/24 vs Greenwood | 7 |
| 04/30/25 vs Jennings County | 6 |
Collin Marcum tossed a big game, striking out 11 batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Drew Palileo and Jake McCammon did most of the damage at the plate: Palileo went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while McCammon went 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI. That stolen base was Palileo's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Sam Giles, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, Franklin Community never let their opponents score on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Martinsville with a sharp 10-0 win. Considering the Grizzly Cubs have won six matches by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Carsten Bland was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Landen Basey was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double.
Franklin Community is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.4 runs over those games. As for Bloomington South, their win bumped their record up to 10-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bloomington South has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Franklin Community struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bloomington South came up short against Franklin Community in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 3-0. Will the Panthers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
