Northampton and West Springfield are an even 4-4 against one another since May of 2016, but likely not for long. The Blue Devils will be playing in front of their home fans against the Terriers at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday. Northampton is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
Northampton's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Central as they made off with a 28-0 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils considering their one-run performance the matchup before.
Emily Kajka
| 04/29/26 @ Central | 4 |
| 04/17/26 @ Pope Francis Prep | 2 |
| 04/08/26 vs Central | 2 |
| 04/22/26 vs Monson | 1 |
| 04/03/26 @ West Springfield | 1 |
Emily Kajka and Avery Hicks made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Kajka pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Hicks pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Kajka has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. At bat, Kajka got on base in five of her six plate appearances with four runs, three RBI, and one triple, while Hicks went 1-for-2 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those four runs gave Kajka a new career-high.
In other batting news, Greta Lepore was a standout: she got on base in five of her six plate appearances with five runs, three RBI, and one triple. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Rosie Simmons was another key player, going 4-for-6 with six RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Northampton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .784. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, West Springfield was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss. They came up short against Monson, falling 14-1.
West Springfield saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jordyn Manning, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
West Springfield's defeat dropped their record down to 2-11. As for Northampton, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
West Springfield's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Northampton has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.6 hits per game. It's a different story for West Springfield, though, as they've been averaging 14.1 hits. Given Northampton's sizable advantage in that area, the Terriers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Northampton got the 'W' in their previous matchup on April 3rd against West Springfield by a conclusive 8-0 score. Will the Blue Devils repeat their success, or do the Terriers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
