Bears
| 04/03/25 vs Pamlico County | 3 |
| 04/02/25 vs D.H. Conley | 0 |
| 03/27/25 vs Northwestern | 2 |
| 03/26/25 @ Topsail | 7 |
| 03/20/25 vs Havelock | 11 |
| + 8 more games |
The New Bern Bears will square off against the John Paul II Catholic Saints at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. New Bern is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.
New Bern gave up the first runs on Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 win over Pamlico County. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bears have posted against the Hurricanes since March 16, 2016.
Molly McGuire spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on eight hits and racked up 14 Ks.
At the plate, New Bern saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Madison Game, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, while John Paul II Catholic put up some runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Bethel Christian Academy. The Saints blew past the Trojans 10-0. The result was nothing new for the Saints, who have now won five contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Logan Smith made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits while striking out eight over six innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Bailey Tyndall was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one double. Natalie Velleman was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
John Paul II Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in seven consecutive matches.
John Paul II Catholic is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-5-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for New Bern, their victory bumped their record up to 11-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. New Bern has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like John Paul II Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
