The Tiverton Tigers will take on the Cranston East Thunderbolts at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Tiverton sitting on seven straight wins and Cranston East on four.
Tiverton's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Paul Cuffee with a sharp 15-0 victory. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by ten runs or more this season.
Lia Doster made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024.
Sara Poland
| 04/16/25 vs Paul Cuffee | 4 |
| 05/30/24 vs Shea | 3 |
| 04/15/24 vs Exeter-West Greenwich | 3 |
| 04/11/25 @ Middletown | 2 |
| 04/09/25 vs Hope | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sara Poland, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Kelsey Conway also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Tiverton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .600. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .323 or higher in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Cranston East faced Shea in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Thunderbolts were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over the Raiders. The result was nothing new for the Thunderbolts, who have now won five matchups by ten runs or more so far this season.
Lexi Montalban made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Montalban was also solid in the batter's box, earning two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Nevaeh Fatorma and Cydnee Meekins did most of the damage at the plate: Fatorma got on base in two of her three plate appearances with three runs and three RBI, while Meekins went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI and one run. Gianna Tocci was another key player, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with three runs and two RBI.
Cranston East pushed their record up to 5-1 with the win, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Tiverton, their record is now 7-0.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Tiverton hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .419. However, it's not like Cranston East struggles in that department as they've averaged .358. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Tiverton might still be hurting after the 9-0 defeat they got from Cranston East in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
