The Ponaganset Chieftains are taking a road trip to challenge the Smithfield Sentinels at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Ponaganset is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak.
Ponaganset is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: East Providence, who was ranked 13th at the time (Ponaganset was ranked 17th). The Chieftains fell just short of the Townies by a score of 3-2 on Friday.
Ponaganset saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mia Duncan, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
While Smithfield didn't have the best season last year (they finished 7-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against Westerly on Thursday as they made off with a 7-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Sentinels, who have now won five contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Crystal Cacador was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off seven hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lily Riggin, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Giannah Tutt also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Smithfield pushed their record up to 5-2 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Ponaganset, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ponaganset has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Smithfield struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ponaganset might still be hurting after the 10-1 defeat they got from Smithfield in their previous matchup back in March of 2019. Can the Chieftains avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
