The Johnston Panthers will face off against the Ponaganset Chieftains at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Johnston is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Johnston took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Scituate a 10-0 shutout. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Panthers considering their one-run performance the game before.
Haley Boudreau
| 05/04/26 vs Scituate | 16 |
| 05/02/26 @ Portsmouth | 17 |
| 04/28/26 vs Mt. Hope | 17 |
| 04/27/26 @ North Kingstown | 10 |
| 04/24/26 vs Cranston West | 12 |
| + 8 more games |
Haley Boudreau made a splash while hitting and pitching. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 16 over six innings pitched. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bella Boudreau, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Kendall Duguay was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Johnston was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .406. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .344 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Ponaganset fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Moses Brown on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Quakers by a score of 7-6. The Chieftains have struggled against the Quakers recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Mattea Mello spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered six earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits and racked up 12 Ks.
At the plate, Ponaganset saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lilliana Ambrose, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double was Ambrose's first of the season. Another was Cali LaMountain, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Johnston's victory bumped their record up to 10-3. As for Ponaganset, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Johnston has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 13.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ponaganset struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Johnston was able to grind out a solid win over Ponaganset when the teams last played back in April, winning 4-0. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Chieftains turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
