Softball Game Preview: Pleasant Valley Bears vs. Bethlehem Catholic Hawks

The Pleasant Valley Bears will head out on the road to face off against the Bethlehem Catholic Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Pleasant Valley is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 24 runs on Tuesday, they were much more limited against Nazareth Area on Thursday. They lost 15-0 to the Blue Eagles. The match marked the first time this season in which the Bears were not able to get on the board.

Pleasant Valley saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Emma DePalma, who went 1-for-3 with one double.

Meanwhile, Bethlehem Catholic was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat. They came up short against Stroudsburg, falling 13-1. Hawks fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Mountaineers since on Thursday.

Sarah Banko was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run.

Pleasant Valley's loss dropped their record down to 7-5. As for Bethlehem Catholic, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-9.

Bethlehem Catholic's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Pleasant Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .413. It's a different story for Bethlehem Catholic, though, as they've only averaged .225. Will they be able to contain Pleasant Valley's hitters?

Pleasant Valley was able to grind out a solid win over Bethlehem Catholic in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 7-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.