Baseball Game Preview: North Providence Cougars vs. Smithfield Sentinels

The North Providence Cougars will head out to square off against the Smithfield Sentinels at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. North Providence is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.

North Providence is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Chariho, who was ranked 18th at the time (North Providence was ranked seventh). The Cougars won by a run and slipped past the Chargers 8-7. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Chargers recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.

Jayden Allard

Stolen Base (Career)

05/01/25 @ Chariho	2
04/28/25 @ Ponaganset	1
04/21/25 vs Toll Gate	1
04/15/25 vs Ponaganset	1
04/09/25 vs Johnston	1

Jayden Allard was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Mike Ryan also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Meanwhile, after soaring to ten runs the game before, Smithfield was a bit more limited in their match on Friday. They fell just short of South Kingstown by a score of 3-2. The Sentinels have struggled against the Rebels recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meeting.

Luca Simonelli was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Sean Dwyer made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.

North Providence's victory bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Smithfield, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-5.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. North Providence has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Smithfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Everything went North Providence's way against Smithfield in their previous meeting back in May of 2017, as North Providence made off with a 15-5 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.