The Smithfield Sentinels will take on the North Providence Cougars at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Smithfield 3.9, North Providence 2.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Smithfield is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: South Kingstown, who was ranked second at the time (Smithfield was ranked tenth). The Sentinels fell just short of the Rebels by a score of 3-2 on Friday. The Sentinels' loss signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.
Luca Simonelli was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Sean Dwyer made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.
Meanwhile, North Providence waltzed into their match on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured an 8-7 W against the Chargers. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Cougars have posted since April 2nd.
The team relied heavily on Jayden Allard, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Mike Ryan, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
North Providence's win bumped their record up to 10-1. As for Smithfield, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Smithfield has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like North Providence struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Smithfield suffered a grim 15-5 defeat to North Providence in their previous matchup back in May of 2017. Will the Sentinels have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
