Softball Preview: Shea Raiders vs. Cranston East Thunderbolts
Shea has enjoyed the comforts of home their last three games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will take on the Cranston East Thunderbolts at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Shea will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Central on Monday. Shea put the hurt on Central with a sharp 17-1 victory. That looming 17-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Shea yet this season.
Janayah Gordon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). Gordon has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't pitched less than five innings every time she's pitched this season. Gordon was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Shea let Clara Perez and Cheyenne Cooper loose on the outfield. Perez went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs, and four RBI, while Cooper went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Laurel Christian, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Cranston East put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. Everything went their way against Rogers as Cranston East made off with a 15-2 win. That's two games straight that Cranston East has won by exactly 13 runs.
Like Shea, Cranston East also got a great game from a two-way player: Isabella Sousa. On the mound, Sousa struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned run off four hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Lexi Montalban tossed two innings while giving up no earned run off one hit. At the plate, Sousa went 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Montalban scored a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Cranston East got a massive performance out of Nevaeh Fatorma, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Samaya Imondi was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 4-for-5.
Shea's record now sits at 4-1. As for Cranston East, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Shea has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 12 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cranston East struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.4. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Shea's way against Cranston East when the teams last played back in May of 2023 as Shea made off with a 10-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Shea since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
