The Ponaganset Chieftains will square off against the Portsmouth Patriots at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Ponaganset will be strutting in after a victory while Portsmouth will be coming in after a defeat.
Ponaganset is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: North Kingstown, who was ranked 13th at the time (Ponaganset was ranked 21st). The Chieftains put the hurt on the Skippers with a sharp 8-2 win on Thursday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Chieftains as it put an end to their six-game losing streak.
Mattea Mello
| 05/01/25 vs North Kingstown | 13 |
| 04/30/25 @ St. Raphael Academy | 8 |
| 04/28/25 @ Smithfield | 5 |
| 04/25/25 @ East Providence | 11 |
| 04/24/25 @ Chariho | 5 |
| 04/21/25 @ Moses Brown | 10 |
Mattea Mello spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on seven hits and racked up 13 Ks. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Maia Salvo, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-3. That's the most runs she has posted since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Mia Duncan, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Ponaganset kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 1-0 heartbreaker at the hands of Johnston.
Ponaganset's win bumped their record up to 3-8. As for Portsmouth, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-7.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Ponaganset hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Portsmouth struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Everything went Ponaganset's way against Portsmouth in their previous meeting back in June of 2024, as Ponaganset made off with a 10-3 victory. Will the Chieftains repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
