Softball Game Preview: Bishop Hartley Hawks vs. Licking Heights Hornets

The Bishop Hartley Hawks will take on the Licking Heights Hornets at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Bishop Hartley's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs every time they've taken the field this season.

Bishop Hartley made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Jonathan Alder, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Bishop Hartley put the hurt on Jonathan Alder with a sharp 13-2 victory on Tuesday. While the Hawks didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.

Jasmine Wooten spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on four hits.

Anaya Bumpus

Triples (Career)

03/25/25 vs Jonathan Alder	2
04/24/24 vs St. Francis DeSales	1
04/09/24 vs Liberty Union	1
04/06/24 @ Centerburg	1

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Anaya Bumpus, who went 3-for-4 with two triples, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those two triples gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Chelsea Gautier, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI.

Bishop Hartley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .548. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Jonathan Alder only posted an OBP of .385.

Meanwhile, Licking Heights fell victim to West Jefferson and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They lost 12-0 to the Roughriders. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Hornets' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Bishop Hartley's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Licking Heights, their loss dropped their record down to 1-1.

Bishop Hartley might still be hurting after the 11-2 defeat they got from Licking Heights in their previous meeting back in May of 2022. Can Bishop Hartley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.