Softball Game Preview: New Castle Hurricanes vs. North Hills Indians

The New Castle Hurricanes will head out on the road to take on the North Hills Indians at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.

New Castle was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Penn Hills on Wednesday. The Hurricanes never let the Indians get on the board and left with a 24-0 victory. The Hurricanes' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

Olivia Hood made a splash no matter where she played. She tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two triples, three runs, and three RBI. Those two triples gave her a new career-high.

Keara Mangieri

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/16/25 vs Penn Hills	6
03/21/25 vs Laurel	5
04/29/24 vs Moon Area	5
04/14/25 vs Plum	4
03/19/25 @ Butler	4

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Keara Mangieri, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high. Angie Gallo was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

New Castle was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .655. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for North Hills, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. Everything went their way against Penn Hills on Monday as they made off with a 15-0 win. The victory continues a trend for North Hills in their matchups with Penn Hills: they've now won three in a row.

North Hills' record now sits at 5-3. As for New Castle, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 5-6.

New Castle might still be hurting after the 10-4 loss they got from North Hills in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Can the Hurricanes avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.