The North Providence Cougars will take on the Barrington Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. North Providence is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
North Providence is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 15 runs on Friday, they were much more limited against South Kingstown on Sunday. They came up short against the Rebels, falling 7-1. The Cougars' defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Olivia Geib-Ayala
| 05/17/26 vs South Kingstown | 1 |
| 05/15/26 @ Davies Career & Tech | 0 |
| 05/13/26 @ Scituate | 1 |
| 05/12/26 vs Woonsocket | 1 |
Olivia Geib-Ayala spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and six unearned) runs on six hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, North Providence saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mariana Xavier, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, while Barrington put up plenty of runs on Wednesday, the same can't be said for Woonsocket. The Eagles blew past the Villa Novans 18-0. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by eight runs or more this season.
Audrey Paxton made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. Paxton was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Grace Fontaine was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Cora Floriani, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs.
Barrington was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Barrington has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-6-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for North Providence, their loss dropped their record down to 10-8.
North Providence's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's game. The Cougars have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Barrington, though, as they've been averaging only 0.7 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will North Providence continue to outrun the ball?
North Providence might still be hurting after the 19-5 defeat they got from Barrington in their previous matchup back in May of 2025. Will the Cougars have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
