The North Kingstown Skippers will head out on the road to face off against the St. Raphael Academy Saints at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. North Kingstown will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
North Kingstown is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Portsmouth, who was ranked 21st at the time (North Kingstown was ranked tenth). The Skippers walked away with an 11-7 win over the Patriots on Friday.
The team relied heavily on Amelia Fries, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Mia D'Andrea, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
Meanwhile, St. Raphael Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Prout on Friday and fell 6-5. The loss was the Saints' first of the season.
Isabella Sousa was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off only two hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs.
In other batting news, Noelle Welch was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs. Sophie Roman was another key player, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
North Kingstown's victory bumped their record up to 5-3. As for St. Raphael Academy, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. North Kingstown has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.2 hits per game. However, it's not like St. Raphael Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 2.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
North Kingstown might still be hurting after the 9-2 defeat they got from St. Raphael Academy in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Skippers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
