Softball Game Preview: Ursuline Academy Bears vs. Norfolk County Agricultural Rams

Ursuline Academy is 9-1 against Norfolk County Agricultural since April of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Bears will welcome the Rams at 3:30 p.m. Ursuline Academy will be strutting in after a win while Norfolk County Agricultural will be coming in after a loss.

On Friday, Ursuline Academy narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Bellingham 2-1. The win continues a trend for the Bears in their matchups with the Blackhawks: they've now won three in a row.

Emersyn Smart was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that she hit this season.

Smart wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ella Cusson, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI. Elena Bustamonte also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Meanwhile, while it was Norfolk County Agricultural who put the first runs on the board on Thursday, it was Ursuline Academy who put up more. The Rams fell just short of the Bears by a score of 6-5. The Rams have struggled against the Bears recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meeting.

Ursuline Academy's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 3-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Norfolk County Agricultural, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-2.

Ursuline Academy skirted past Norfolk County Agricultural 6-5 in their previous matchup on Thursday. Do the Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Rams turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.