Softball Game Preview: Ursuline Academy Bears vs. Bellingham Blackhawks

By Team Reports Apr 10, 2025, 10:05pm

Softball Preview: Ursuline Academy Bears vs. Bellingham Blackhawks

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The Ursuline Academy Bears will head out on the road to take on the Bellingham Blackhawks at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Bellingham took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Ursuline Academy, who comes in off a win.

Ursuline Academy was handed a seven-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Norfolk County Agricultural 6-5. The victory continues a trend for the Bears in their matchups with the Rams: they've now won six in a row.

Emersyn Smart was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Smart was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, one run, and one RBI. Those three doubles gave her a new career-high.

Maeve Friedman

Hits (Career)

04/10/25 @ Norfolk County Agricultural3
03/28/25 @ Sharon2
04/30/24 @ Sharon1
04/12/24 vs Malden Catholic1
04/08/24 @ Norfolk County Agricultural1

In other batting news, Casey McManus and Maeve Friedman did most of the damage at the plate: McManus scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Friedman went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI. Those three hits gave Friedman a new career-high.

Ursuline Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Bellingham came up short against Norton on Wednesday, falling 11-5. The loss continues a trend for the Blackhawks in their meetings with the Lancers: they've now lost eight in a row.

Bellingham saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kaleigh Simpson, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. Megan Skarin was another, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.

Bellingham's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Ursuline Academy, the win got them back to even at 2-2.

Bellingham's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Ursuline Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Bellingham, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will Ursuline Academy keep running through batters, or will the Blackhawks buck the trend?

Ursuline Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Bellingham when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 3-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.

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