The Bloomfield Cardinals will venture away from home to face off against the Bloomington South Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The last three games Bloomfield has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
North Knox hit Bloomfield with a five-run fifth inning on Saturday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Cardinals fell just short of the Warriors by a score of 5-4. The defeat continues a trend for the Cardinals in their meetings with the Warriors: they've now lost four in a row.
Lila Koontz was huge no matter where she played even without the win. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up five earned runs off three hits. Koontz was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season.
In other batting news, Zylah Hendricks made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Gwenavere Klun, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Bloomington South unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Monday. They fell just short of Linton-Stockton by a score of 6-5.
Bloomington South also got a good showing from Shilo Rockhill, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Rockhill has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Bloomington South saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Larkyn Ivey, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs. Another was Carly Reed, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
Bloomington South's record now sits at 8-3. As for Bloomfield, they suffered their first home loss, dropping their record down to 7-5.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Bloomfield has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.2 hits per game. However, it's not like Bloomington South struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bloomfield might still be hurting after the 17-2 defeat they got from Bloomington South when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Cardinals avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
