North Reading Hornets (North Reading, MA) backers exited the stadium thrilled Tuesday as they saw their softball squad nip the host Newburyport Clippers (Newburyport, MA), 9-4 in a league challenge.

The Hornets now own a 1-0 record. They take the field next when they host Pentucket Regional for a Cape Ann Kinney challenge on Monday, April 10.

With the loss, Newburyport falls to 0-1 on the campaign. The Clippers host Lynnfield (Lynnfield, MA) to face the Pioneers in a non-league challenge on Thursday, April 6. The Pioneers enter the challenge with a record of 1-0. Lynnfield won 13-11 in their recent non-league challenge against East Boston (East Boston, MA)