Baseball Game Preview: Woonsocket Villa Novans vs. Paul Cuffee

The Woonsocket Villa Novans are taking a road trip to face off against Paul Cuffee at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Woonsocket has seven straight victories, Paul Cuffee has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Woonsocket had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 22-run drubbing they dealt Blackstone Valley Prep on Tuesday. The Villa Novans put the hurt on the PRIDE with a sharp 25-3 win. The Villa Novans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three matchups by eight runs or more this season.

Max Garneau made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Garneau was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

In other batting news, Woonsocket got a massive performance out of Braylon Guilbeault, who scored four runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Those four runs gave Guilbeault a new career-high. Juleus Perez was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

Woonsocket always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .659. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Paul Cuffee lost 26-1 to North Smithfield on Tuesday.

Woonsocket's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-0. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.0 runs over those games. As for Paul Cuffee, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-3.

Woonsocket took their victory against Paul Cuffee when the teams last played two weeks ago by a conclusive 24-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Villa Novans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.