Softball Game Preview: Ponaganset Chieftains vs. North Kingstown Skippers

The Ponaganset Chieftains will face off against the North Kingstown Skippers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Ponaganset is coming into the match on a six-game losing streak.

Ponaganset is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: St. Raphael Academy, who was ranked seventh at the time (Ponaganset was ranked 20th). The Chieftains fell just short of the Saints by a score of 3-2 on Wednesday.

Maia Salvo was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one triple and one run. Another player making a difference was Mia Duncan, who went 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

Moses Brown hit North Kingstown with a five-run fifth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Skippers took an 11-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Quakers. The Skippers have struggled against the Quakers recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive lost meeting.

Cassidy Dowd made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Those runs marked the first that she has scored this season.

North Kingstown's defeat dropped their record down to 5-5. As for Ponaganset, their loss dropped their record down to 2-8.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday 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 North Kingstown struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.