Normal Community is a perfect 10-0 against Bloomington since April of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Ironmen will welcome the Purple Raiders at 4:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Normal Community has 12 straight wins, Bloomington has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Normal Community barely beat East Moline United the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Ironmen blew past the Panthers 10-3 on Saturday. Considering the Ironmen have won 14 contests by more than five runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Jacob Engel
| 05/10/25 @ East Moline United | 1 |
| 04/28/25 vs Richwoods | 2 |
| 04/23/25 @ Normal West | 0 |
| 04/11/25 @ Champaign Central | 1 |
| 04/08/25 @ Peoria Notre Dame | 2 |
Jacob Engel looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Drew Stevens was a standout: he got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Kyle Beaty, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Bloomington lost 8-1 to Washington on Saturday.
Normal Community pushed their record up to 26-4 with the victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Bloomington, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-10.
Normal Community came out on top in a nail-biter against Bloomington in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. Do the Ironmen have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Purple Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
