Crusaders
| 04/28/25 @ Westerly | 5 |
| 04/25/25 vs St. Raphael Academy | 6 |
| 04/22/25 vs Chariho | 2 |
| 04/16/25 @ South Kingstown | 12 |
| 04/14/25 vs Smithfield | 9 |
| + 5 more games |
The Prout Crusaders will venture away from home to challenge the Coventry Oakers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Prout is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Prout is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Westerly, who was ranked ninth at the time (Prout was ranked eighth). The Crusaders had just enough and edged out the Bulldogs 5-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Crusaders.
Lucy Kaiser spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up 13 Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Emma Manzo, who went 2-for-4 with two triples, two runs, and two RBI. Those two triples gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kelsea Flaherty, who went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Coventry entered their tilt with Moses Brown on Monday with five consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with six. They blew past the Quakers 11-0. Considering the Oakers have won four contests by more than ten runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Mary Mcgovern made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Leah Lapham was excellent, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Izzy Dyl was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Coventry always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Moses Brown only posted an OBP of .056.
Coventry's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Prout, their record is now 6-4.
Prout's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's game. The Crusaders have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Coventry, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Prout continue to outrun the ball?
Prout came up short against Coventry when the teams last played back in April of 2019, falling 6-2. Can the Crusaders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
