Baseball Game Preview: Central Knights vs. Johnston Panthers

The Central Knights will challenge the Johnston Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Central will be strutting in after a win while Johnston will be coming in after a loss.

Central is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: East Greenwich, who was ranked 21st at the time (Central was ranked 19th). The Knights came out on top against the Avengers by a score of 5-2 on Sunday. The Knights haven't had any issues with the Avengers recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Yadiel Ventura

Runs

05/18/25 @ East Greenwich	2
05/07/25 vs Toll Gate	2
05/03/25 @ Cranston East	2
04/04/25 vs Scituate	2
05/13/25 vs Chariho	1
+ 8 more games

Yadiel Ventura was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Central's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 6-7 when he doesn't).

Meanwhile, Johnston was not able to break out of their rough patch on Sunday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They lost 8-0 to Burrillville. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Panthers have suffered since April 21st.

Johnston saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Dionis Jayden Calcagno, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one double.

Johnston's defeat dropped their record down to 3-14. As for Central, their win bumped their record up to 10-7.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Johnston struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Central beat Johnston 4-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2018. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.