The Normal Community Ironmen will head out to face off against the Glenwood Titans at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a eight-game winning streak alive.
Normal Community had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 12-run drubbing they dealt Normal West on Tuesday. The Ironmen were the clear victors by a 15-3 margin over the Wildcats.
The team relied heavily on Haley Baughman, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Bailey Engel, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Normal Community was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .435. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Normal West only posted a batting average of .250.
Meanwhile, Glenwood won against Danville last Saturday with 11 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. The Titans were the clear victors by an 11-3 margin over Normal University. The result was nothing new for the Titans, who have now won 11 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Alyvia Streb spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Sydney Feld was incredible, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Sophia Whitten also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Normal Community pushed their record up to 12-9 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Glenwood, their record is now 17-1.
Normal Community suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Glenwood in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Ironmen avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
