Softball Game Preview: Nathan Hale Raiders vs. Bishop Blanchet Bears

Nathan Hale hasn't had much luck against Bishop Blanchet recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Raiders will host the Bears at 4:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.

As a matter of fact, Nathan Hale put up the most runs they have all season on Thursday. They fell just short of Holy Names Academy by a score of 15-14. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Tuesday (11), the Raiders still had to take the loss.

Ainslie Smith

Stolen Base

04/03/25 @ Holy Names Academy	2
04/01/25 @ Seattle Prep	1
03/25/25 vs West Seattle	1
03/20/25 @ Eastside Catholic	2
03/18/25 @ Garfield	1
03/11/25 vs Holy Names Academy	1

Ainslie Smith led a balanced group of hitters, going 4-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. Smith is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Josie Ellis was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI.

Meanwhile, Bishop Blanchet didn't have quite enough to beat Garfield on Thursday and fell 16-15. The defeat continues a trend for the Bears in their meetings with the Bulldogs: they've now lost three in a row.

This is the second loss in a row for Nathan Hale and nudges their season record down to 2-5. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.5 runs over those games. As for Bishop Blanchet, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-2.

Nathan Hale might still be hurting after the 32-1 loss they got from Bishop Blanchet in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.