The Mt. Hope Huskies will head out to square off against the Pilgrim Patriots at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Mt. Hope is coming into the match on a five-game losing streak.
Mt. Hope is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Portsmouth, who was ranked 17th at the time (Mt. Hope was ranked 19th). The Huskies lost 10-4 to the Patriots on Monday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Huskies have suffered since May 3, 2024.
Mt. Hope got a good showing from Riley Gagner, who tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
At the plate, Trace Dubois made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That run marked the first that he scored this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Brian Abbruzzi, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Pilgrim hadn't done well against North Kingstown recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Patriots walked away with a 6-3 win over the Skippers. The game was the first time the Patriots have beaten the Skippers on their field since April 26, 2017.
Derrick Butler spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on four hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Jacob Soulliere was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Henry Kearns was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
The victory made it two in a row for Pilgrim and bumps their season record up to 3-3. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Mt. Hope, their loss dropped their record down to 1-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mt. Hope has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pilgrim struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Mt. Hope suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to Pilgrim when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Huskies avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
