Softball Game Preview: Prout Crusaders vs. Pilgrim Patriots

The Prout Crusaders will face off against the Pilgrim Patriots at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Pilgrim took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Prout, who comes in off a win.

Prout is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Smithfield, who was ranked 16th at the time (Prout was ranked 13th). The Crusaders skirted past the Sentinels 4-3. The Crusaders haven't had any issues with the Sentinels recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.

Megan Gardiner

Batters Struck Out

05/18/26 vs Smithfield	11
05/16/26 vs Cumberland	7
05/13/26 vs Coventry	9
05/09/26 vs Moses Brown	5
05/08/26 vs St. Mary Academy-Bay View	14
+ 5 more games

Megan Gardiner was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.

In other batting news, Sara Slitt was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

Cranston West hit Pilgrim with a four-run second inning on Monday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Patriots fell 6-3 to the Falcons. The defeat continues a trend for the Patriots in their meetings with the Falcons: they've now lost four in a row.

Skylar Hawes and Lia Wasilewski did some serious damage despite the final result: Hawes went 1-for-3 with one home run, while Wasilewski went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.

Pilgrim's loss dropped their record down to 6-11-1. As for Prout, their victory bumped their record up to 9-10.

Prout came up short against Pilgrim in their previous meeting back in May of 2025, falling 5-1. Will the Crusaders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.