The Centennial Chargers will face off against the Bloomington Purple Raiders at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Centennial: they have been struggling with six straight losses at home dating back to last season, while Bloomington has snatched up four consecutive wins on the road.
Centennial will bounce into Friday's match after beating Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, who they had gone 0-3 against in their three prior meetings. The Chargers were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Falcons on Thursday.
Zoe Goodreau spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on two hits and racked up 17 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Annie Loschen, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Maiyah Flemons, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Bloomington made easy work of Danville on Tuesday and carried off a 9-2 victory. The Purple Raiders haven't had any issues with the Vikings recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Bloomington also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Reilly Vetter gave up two runs (both of which were unearned) on two hits and racked up 14 Ks.
On the hitting side, Bloomington let Lauren Shuey and Abi Witt run wild. Shuey went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Witt went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs. That's the most RBI Shuey has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Alicia Swank, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
Bloomington always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .543. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Bloomington's victory bumped their record up to 12-3. As for Centennial, their win bumped their record up to 5-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Centennial has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bloomington struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 14.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
