The Smithfield Sentinels will square off against the Mt. Hope Huskies at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Smithfield barely beat Lincoln the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Sentinels blew past the Lions 9-2 on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Sentinels, who have now won three games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Tucker Byrnes
| 04/10/25 @ La Salle Academy | 7 |
| 04/01/25 vs Cranston West | 2 |
| 04/16/25 vs Lincoln | 1 |
Tucker Byrnes spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on six hits and racked up seven Ks. He has become a key player for Smithfield: the team is undefeated when he allows at most two earned runs, but 0-4 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Sean Dwyer was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Smithfield is 2-1 when Dwyer posts two or more runs, but 1-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Chase Prata, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Smithfield always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Mt. Hope faced Pilgrim in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. The Huskies walked away with a 9-5 win over the Patriots. The victory was some much needed relief for the Huskies as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.
Mt. Hope saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rhys Davies, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Jacob Ferreira also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
The win snapped Smithfield's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 3-4 record. As for Mt. Hope, their victory was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 2-5.
Mt. Hope's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Smithfield has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .442. It's a different story for Mt. Hope, though, as they've only averaged .335. Will they be able to contain Smithfield's hitters?
Smithfield beat Mt. Hope 9-4 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Do the Sentinels have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Huskies turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
