Cougars
| 04/29/25 vs Central | 13 |
| 04/28/25 @ Ponaganset | 12 |
| 04/23/25 @ Burrillville | 0 |
| 04/21/25 vs Toll Gate | 7 |
| 04/17/25 vs Middletown | 10 |
| + 5 more games |
The North Providence Cougars will head out to face off against the Chariho Chargers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. North Providence is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
North Providence is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Central, who was ranked 17th at the time (North Providence was ranked sixth). The Cougars blew past the Knights 13-3 on Tuesday. While the Cougars didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-12), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Vin Pontarelli was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over four innings pitched. Pontarelli was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, North Providence got a massive performance out of Ronnie Paux, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI and one run. Gabe Ramirez also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Chariho hadn't beaten Narragansett on the road since April 21, 2022 but that history sure didn't bother them on Tuesday. The Chargers came out on top against the Mariners by a score of 6-3. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Chargers.
Like North Providence, Chariho also got a great game from a two-way player: Landon Sumner. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits. That's the most strikeouts Sumner has posted since April 4th. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
Sumner wasn't the only one making solid contact as eight players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Adam Carpenter, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run. Gavin Apice was another, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one run.
North Providence pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.0 runs over those games. As for Chariho, their record is now 7-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. North Providence has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Chariho struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
North Providence came out on top in a nail-biter against Chariho when the teams last played back in May of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Chargers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
