The North Smithfield Northmen will venture away from home to face off against the Tiverton Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. North Smithfield is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.1 runs per game this season.
North Smithfield is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest defeat since May 6, 2024 on Wednesday. They came up short against Rogers, falling 20-9. Northmen fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Vikings since on Wednesday.
Nate Dec was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Nick Tremblay, who went 1-for-3 with two runs.
Tiverton let Mt. Pleasant stack four runs on them in the seventh inning on Tuesday but luckily Tiverton prevailed anyway. The Tigers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 win over the Kilties. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Kilties recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Kamryn Rego made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 16 batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. Those 16 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Tiverton is 2-1 when Rego posts two or more runs, but 3-5 otherwise.
Rego wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Noah Mercer, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those two stolen bases gave Mercer a new career-high. John Faria also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Tiverton kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 3 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 games they've averaged 9.4.
Tiverton's record now sits at 5-6. As for North Smithfield, they now have a losing record of 4-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Smithfield has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Tiverton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went North Smithfield's way against Tiverton in their previous matchup back in May of 2016, as North Smithfield made off with a 12-2 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Northmen since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
