The Cranston West Falcons will take on the Johnston Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Cranston West 3.7, Johnston 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Cranston West is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: East Providence, who was ranked 11th at the time (Cranston West was ranked fifth). The Falcons put the hurt on the Townies with a sharp 11-5 victory on Wednesday. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by six runs or more this season.
Mia Crudale
| 05/14/25 @ East Providence | 2 |
| 04/25/25 vs West Warwick | 1 |
| 04/16/25 @ La Salle Academy | 1 |
| 05/19/24 @ Coventry | 1 |
| 05/14/24 vs Cumberland | 1 |
Mia Crudale made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Crudale was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs. Those two runs gave her a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Mia Sampaio looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Ava Iannelli, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Mia Baffoni, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Johnston didn't have quite enough to beat Toll Gate on Wednesday and fell 3-2.
Haley Boudreau spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up 12 Ks.
On the hitting side, Alanna Colon was cooking despite her team's loss, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Bella Boudreau, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Cranston West has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Johnston, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four matches. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-4 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cranston West has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Johnston struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 11.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
