North Kingstown is 2-8 against Cranston West since May of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Sunday. The Skippers are taking a road trip to challenge the Falcons at 2:00 p.m. North Kingstown will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
North Kingstown is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Moses Brown, who was ranked 19th at the time (North Kingstown was ranked 15th). The Skippers were the clear victors by a 12-2 margin over the Quakers on Saturday. The game was the first time the Skippers have beaten the Quakers on their field since June 13, 2017.
Ella Mezzanotte made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, going 3-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Amelia Fries, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with four stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Mia D'Andrea, who went 3-for-5 with three runs, two doubles, and one triple.
Meanwhile, Cranston West never let their opponents score on Saturday. They came out on top against Johnston by a score of 4-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Falcons.
Not much got past Mia Crudale, who gave up just two hits and racked up 14 Ks to keep Johnston off the board.
At the plate, Mia Santomassimo and Mia Baffoni did most of the damage at the plate: Santomassimo went 1-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run, while Baffoni went 1-for-2 with three runs and one stolen base. That triple was Santomassimo's first of the season. Siena Nardelli was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
North Kingstown's record is now 7-10. As for Cranston West, their record now sits at 10-6.
North Kingstown was able to grind out a solid win over Cranston West when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 6-3. Do the Skippers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Falcons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
