The Woonsocket Villa Novans will challenge the Exeter-West Greenwich Scarlet Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Woonsocket sitting on 14 straight victories dating back to last season and Exeter-West Greenwich on three.
Woonsocket is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Burrillville, who was ranked 14th at the time (Woonsocket was ranked tenth). The Villa Novans came out on top against the Broncos by a score of 8-3 on Friday.
Braylon Guilbeault made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Guilbeault was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, CJ Bousquet and Cesar Vazquez Jr. did most of the damage at the plate: Bousquet went 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI, while Vazquez Jr. went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Those two doubles gave Bousquet a new career-high. Noah Levereault was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Woonsocket was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Burrillville only posted a batting average of .233.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Exeter-West Greenwich ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They won by a run and slipped past Rogers 8-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Scarlet Knights have posted since May 24, 2024.
Exeter-West Greenwich got a massive performance out of Ethan Koczwanski, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those RBI marked the first that Koczwanski has brought in this season. Another player making a difference was Owen Lincoln, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Woonsocket's victory was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 12-0. As for Exeter-West Greenwich, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.
Tuesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Woonsocket has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .546. However, it's not like Exeter-West Greenwich struggles in that department as they've averaged .465. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Woonsocket took their victory against Exeter-West Greenwich when the teams last played back in April of 2018 by a conclusive 12-2 score. Will the Villa Novans repeat their success, or do the Scarlet Knights have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
