The Smithfield Sentinels will challenge the Ponaganset Chieftains at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The timing is sure in Smithfield's favor as the squad sits on four straight wins at home while Ponaganset has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.
Smithfield is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Westerly, who was ranked sixth at the time (Smithfield was ranked seventh). The Sentinels put the hurt on the Bulldogs with a sharp 7-1 win on Thursday. The Sentinels might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by six runs or more this season.
Crystal Cacador was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off seven hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two runs and one double.
In other batting news, Lily Riggin was excellent, going 1-for-3 with three RBI and one run. Madison Kennedy was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Ponaganset didn't have quite enough to beat East Providence on Friday and fell 3-2.
Ponaganset saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mia Duncan, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Smithfield's victory bumped their record up to 5-2. As for Ponaganset, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Ponaganset's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Smithfield has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Ponaganset, though, as they've been averaging 9.4 hits. Given Smithfield's sizable advantage in that area, the Chieftains will need to find a way to close that gap.
Smithfield took their win against Ponaganset in their previous meeting back in March of 2019 by a conclusive 10-1 score. Will the Sentinels repeat their success, or do the Chieftains have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
