Bishop Blanchet hasn't had much luck against Garfield recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Bears will look to defend their home field against the Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. Bishop Blanchet's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Garfield's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Bishop Blanchet is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Washington's top teams: Ballard, who was ranked 19th at the time (Bishop Blanchet was ranked 20th). The Bears fell 4-1 to the Beavers on Tuesday. The match marked the Bears' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Meanwhile, Garfield posted their closest win since May 24, 2024 on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Roosevelt 9-8. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs.
Ella Howard looked comfortable as she tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit.
At the plate, Kaitlyn Washington and Jordana King did most of the damage at the plate: Washington went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while King went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Washington is on a roll when it comes to triples, as she's now hit at least one in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mae Valenta, who scored a run while going 3-for-3.
Garfield kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in 12 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Garfield pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Bishop Blanchet, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 6-1.
Bishop Blanchet came up short against Garfield in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, falling 4-0. Will the Bears have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
