The Westerly Bulldogs will venture away from home to square off against the Ponaganset Chieftains at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Westerly's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three matchups.
Westerly is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Cumberland, who was ranked 23rd at the time (Westerly was ranked tenth). The Bulldogs were the clear victors by a 12-3 margin over the Clippers on Wednesday. Considering the Bulldogs have won five contests by more than eight runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Addison Poole
| 05/07/25 vs Cumberland | 3 |
| 05/03/25 @ South Kingstown | 4 |
| 05/02/25 @ East Providence | 3 |
| 04/30/25 @ Barrington | 4 |
Addison Poole was incredible, going 4-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more RBI the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Bella Mazzarese, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
Westerly was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .412. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .364 or higher in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Ponaganset ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 win over Portsmouth. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Chieftains have posted since June 8, 2024.
Mattea Mello made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over nine innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits. Mello was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maia Salvo, who fired off two home runs, three RBI, and one stolen base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. That stolen base was her first of the season. Jillian Baris was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
The win made it two in a row for Ponaganset and bumps their season record up to 4-8. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Westerly, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Westerly hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.9 home runs per game. However, it's not like Ponaganset struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
