The Tiverton Tigers will face off against the Middletown Islanders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Tiverton will come into the match with an undefeated record on the line.
Tiverton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Cranston East, who was ranked sixth at the time (Tiverton was ranked ninth). The Tigers came out on top in a nail-biter against the Thunderbolts on Monday, sneaking past 6-5. Those six runs were actually the fewest the Tigers have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Lia Doster made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over ten innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-6 with one stolen base.
In other batting news, Tiverton let Sara Poland and Caroline Durost run wild. Poland went 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI, while Durost went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave Durost a new career-high. Brooke Sowa also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Tiverton kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cranston East only managed seven hits.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Middletown, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They put the hurt on Mt. Pleasant with a sharp 16-1 victory on Tuesday. Considering the Islanders have won three contests by more than 14 runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
The win snapped Middletown's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 3-3 record. As for Tiverton, their victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-0.
Tiverton took their win against Middletown in their previous meeting two weeks ago by a conclusive 11-1 score. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Islanders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
