Normal Community has gone 8-2 against Normal West recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Ironmen will take on the Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. Normal Community is coming into the contest hot, having won their last 11 games.
On Saturday, Normal Community beat Bradley-Bourbonnais 4-1.
Jonah Roper looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
Gavin Michaels
| 04/19/25 vs Bradley-Bourbonnais | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Centennial | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Bartlett | 1 |
| 03/31/25 vs Peoria Notre Dame | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Gavin Michaels, who went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Drew Stevens, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Normal Community hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five batters in four consecutive matchups.
Lake Zurich hit Normal West with a six-run fourth inning on Saturday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Wildcats lost 17-9 to the Bears.
Cooper Temples and Chase Knuth did some serious damage despite the final result: Temples went 3-for-4 with two runs and one double, while Knuth went 2-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Sam McCully was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI.
Normal Community pushed their record up to 12-3 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.9 runs on average over those games. As for Normal West, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Normal Community has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Normal West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Normal Community beat Normal West 9-4 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Ironmen since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
