Softball Game Preview: Smithfield Sentinels vs. St. Raphael Academy Saints

Smithfield hasn't had much luck against St. Raphael Academy recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Sentinels will look to defend their home field against the Saints at 4:15 p.m.

Smithfield is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Prout, who was ranked 13th at the time (Smithfield was ranked 16th). The Sentinels fell just short of the Crusaders by a score of 4-3 on Monday.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for St. Raphael Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand East Providence a 7-0 shutout on Sunday. The Saints haven't had any issues with the Townies recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.

Isabella Sousa made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 15 over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two RBI.

In other batting news, St. Raphael Academy let Noelle Welch and Sophie Roman run wild. Welch went 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI, while Roman got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two RBI and one run.

Smithfield's defeat dropped their record down to 8-12-1. As for St. Raphael Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 12-5.