Ironmen
| 05/19/25 vs Washington | 2 |
| 05/17/25 @ Streator | 8 |
| 05/17/25 @ Streator | 5 |
| 05/15/25 vs Champaign Central | 5 |
| 05/14/25 @ Olympia | 5 |
| + 24 more games |
Normal Community has gone 9-1 against Bloomington recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Tuesday. The Ironmen will challenge the Purple Raiders at 4:30 p.m. Normal Community is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Normal Community's last matchup with Washington could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's match on Monday. The Ironmen came up short against the Panthers, falling 8-2. The Ironmen's loss signaled the end of their six-game winning streak.
Tatum Yokley and Bailey Engel did some serious damage despite the final result: Yokley went 2-for-3 with two RBI, while Engel went 3-for-4 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, Bloomington waltzed into their contest on Thursday with five straight wins... but they left with six. Everything went their way against the Lions as they made off with a 21-4 victory. The Purple Raiders' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Mady McComas and Reilly Vetter were major factors while hitting and pitching. Throwing, McComas struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off only two hits. Meanwhile, Vetter pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. At bat, McComas went 1-for-3 with three runs and one RBI, while Vetter got on base in two of her four plate appearances with three runs. Those three runs gave McComas a new career-high.
In other batting news, Bloomington got a massive performance out of Mara Copes, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, three RBI, and one triple. That's the most RBI Copes has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Lauren Shuey, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs.
Bloomington kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in four consecutive games.
Bloomington's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-3. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. As for Normal Community, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-11.
Normal Community was able to grind out a solid win over Bloomington in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 5-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ironmen since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
