After flying high against Burrillville last Wednesday, Middletown came back down to earth. The Middletown Islanders' tough 9-1 loss to the North Providence Cougars on Friday might stick with them for a while. Middletown was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as North Providence apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in April of 2023.
Middletown saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jacob Mello, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases.
On North Providence's side, Vincent Pontarelli spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits. Pontarelli has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Ronald Paux, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Jack Larocque was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.
Middletown now has a losing record at 3-4. As for North Providence, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-5.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Middletown will square off against Ponaganset at 5:15 p.m. on Monday. Middletown is facing Ponaganset at the right time seeing as Ponaganset is stuck on a three-game losing streak. As for North Providence, they will head out on the road to take on East Greenwich at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. East Greenwich's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so North Providence's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
