Champaign Central is 0-10 against Bloomington since May of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Champaign Central Maroons will be playing in front of their home fans against the Bloomington Purple Raiders at 4:30 p.m. Champaign Central is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last seven games.
On Thursday, Champaign Central was able to grind out a solid victory over Oakwood, taking the game 7-3.
Haley Helm made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Helm has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Helm was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Tayten Hunter was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Jaila Davis was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, Bloomington owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Centennial 1-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Bloomington.
The result came thanks to Reilly Vetter's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up 16 Ks.
At the plate, Bloomington's victory was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Lauren Shuey, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Champaign Central has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-8-1 record this season. As for Bloomington, their win bumped their record up to 5-7.
Bloomington's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Champaign Central has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .460. It's a different story for Bloomington, though, as they've only averaged .338. Will they be able to contain Champaign Central's hitters?
Champaign Central came up short against Bloomington in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, falling 4-0. Will Champaign Central have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
