Softball Preview: Coventry Oakers vs. Cranston West Falcons
The Coventry Oakers will head out on the road to take on the Cranston West Falcons at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday. Coventry's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Cranston West's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Coventry took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Cumberland 6-5.
mary mcgovern made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit over seven innings pitched. Mcgovern was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with a double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on izzy dyl, who scored a run while getting on base in four of her seven plate appearances. ava hawley was another key contributor, going 2-for-5 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Cranston West waltzed into their game on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Avengers as they made off with a 9-0 victory.
Like Coventry, Cranston West also got a great game from a two-way player: Mia Crudale. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over seven innings pitched. Crudale has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. Crudale was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Cranston West got a massive performance out of Sam Healy, who fired off two home runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Sofia Marella, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI.
Coventry's record is now 3-1. As for Cranston West, their record is now 3-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Coventry has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cranston West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Coventry came up short against Cranston West when the teams last played back in June of 2023, falling 3-0. Can Coventry avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
