The Cranston East Thunderbolts are taking a road trip to challenge the La Salle Academy Rams at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Monday, Cranston East sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 victory over Lincoln. That looming 4-2 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Thunderbolts yet this season.
Damien Wholey spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up ten Ks.
On the hitting side, Cranston East's win was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Smerlyn Lopez, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Antonio Defusco also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, La Salle Academy faced Cranston West in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Monday. The Rams walked away with a 4-1 victory over the Falcons. The win continues a trend for the Rams in their matchups with the Falcons: they've now won four in a row.
La Salle Academy also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Matt Destefanis gave up a run (which was unearned) on two hits. Destefanis has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Brady Collins was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in June of 2024. Another player making a difference was Adryan Urena, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
La Salle Academy's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.2 runs over those games. As for Cranston East, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-8.
Everything went Cranston East's way against La Salle Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Cranston East made off with a 9-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Thunderbolts since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
