The Smithfield Sentinels will square off against the Westerly Bulldogs at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in Smithfield's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while Westerly has been banged up by nine consecutive losses on the road dating back to last season.
Smithfield is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: St. Mary Academy-Bay View, who was ranked 24th at the time (Smithfield was ranked 11th). The Sentinels blew past the Bengals 8-1 on Tuesday. Considering the Sentinels have won four contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Crystal Cacador made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Lily Riggin
| 04/22/25 vs St. Mary Academy-Bay View | 3 |
| 04/05/25 vs Scituate | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Prout | 1 |
| 04/09/25 vs Cumberland | 1 |
| 04/03/25 @ East Providence | 1 |
In other batting news, Lily Riggin was excellent, going 3-for-4 with three runs and one RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Mia Howard was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Smithfield kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Mary Academy-Bay View only managed three hits.
Meanwhile, Westerly suffered their closest loss since May 13, 2024 on Wednesday. They fell just short of Norwich Free Academy by a score of 7-5. The match marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Ella Keegan and Abi Emery stepped up to the plate in a big way. Keegan went 1-for-4 with three runs and one stolen base, while Emery got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two RBI. That stolen base was Keegan's first of the season.
Smithfield's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Westerly, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-4.
Westerly's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Smithfield has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Westerly, though, as they've been averaging only 2.4 strikeouts. Will Smithfield keep running through batters, or will the Bulldogs buck the trend?
Smithfield beat Westerly 6-3 in their previous meeting back in June of 2021. Will the Sentinels repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
