East Providence is 7-2 against Toll Gate since April of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Townies will challenge the Titans at 4:30 p.m. Toll Gate took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on East Providence, who comes in off a win.
East Providence is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Cranston West, who was ranked 18th at the time (East Providence was ranked fifth). The Townies came out on top in a nail-biter against the Falcons last Wednesday, sneaking past 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Townies have posted since April 4th.
Dylan Annicelli
| 04/30/25 vs Cranston West | 1 |
| 04/24/25 vs Lincoln | 2 |
| 04/16/25 @ Westerly | 2 |
| 04/08/25 @ Smithfield | 0 |
| 04/01/25 @ Pilgrim | 2 |
Dylan Annicelli spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on ten hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Aidan Martins, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Gavin Palombo was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Toll Gate came up short against Central on Wednesday and fell 5-1.
Toll Gate had to settle for second despite strong performances on the mound from Geoffrey Laliberte and Brady Fales Laliberte struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits, while Fales pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.
At the plate, Toll Gate saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jonah LaFauci, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. LaFauci is becoming a predictor of the Titans' success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 2-1 (and 1-12 when he doesn't). Shane Moro also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Toll Gate dropped their record down to 3-13 with the defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road. As for East Providence, their victory bumped their record up to 9-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. East Providence has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Toll Gate struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went East Providence's way against Toll Gate in their previous meeting back in April, as East Providence made off with a 9-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Townies since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
