Champaign Central hasn't had much luck against Normal Community recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Maroons will square off against the Ironmen at 10:00 a.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Champaign Central will bounce into Saturday's contest after beating Effingham, who they had gone 0-5 against in their five prior meetings. The Maroons blew past the Hearts 13-1 on Friday. Considering the Maroons have won nine games by more than nine runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Haley Helm made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
Molly Kloeppel
| 04/18/25 @ Effingham | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Peoria | 1 |
| 03/31/25 vs Hoopeston | 1 |
| 04/06/24 vs Normal Community | 1 |
In other batting news, Molly Kloeppel was incredible, firing off two home runs, three runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Grace Bandy, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.
Champaign Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in 14 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Normal Community entered their tilt with Centennial on Thursday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Chargers a 13-0 shutout. With that victory, the Ironmen brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Like Champaign Central, Normal Community also got a great game from a two-way player: Ava Prevo. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Prevo was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and two doubles.
In other batting news, Hayley Michels and Emerson Winn did most of the damage at the plate: Michels went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while Winn went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. McKenna Baughman was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs.
Champaign Central pushed their record up to 11-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Normal Community, their record is now 3-8.
Champaign Central couldn't quite get it done against Normal Community in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 as they fell 17-12. Can the Maroons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
