Softball Game Preview: Beverly Panthers vs. Newburyport Clippers

The Beverly Panthers will challenge the Newburyport Clippers at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Beverly's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Newburyport's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

On Thursday, Beverly didn't have quite enough to beat Wellesley and fell 4-2. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous four matchup, Newburyport brought some dynamite into their most recent contest. They came out on top against Ipswich by a score of 12-7 on Wednesday. The Clippers haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.

Lexi Lacava was a standout: she went 4-for-5 with four runs, two stolen bases, and one triple. That triple was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Charlette Tryko, who went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.

Newburyport was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .436. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2025.

Newburyport's win bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Beverly, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2.

Everything went Beverly's way against Newburyport in their previous meeting back in May of 2025, as Beverly made off with a 13-4 victory. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Clippers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.