Cranston East is 7-1 against Central since April of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Monday. The Thunderbolts will be defending their home field for the first time this season when they go up against the Knights at 4:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Monday.
Cranston East will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run last Friday, then bounced right back against Classical on Thursday. The Thunderbolts put the hurt on the Purple with a sharp 19-3 win. The victory continues a trend for the Thunderbolts in their matchups with the Purple: they've now won six in a row.
Lexi Montalban
| 04/10/25 @ Classical | 1 |
| 04/04/25 @ Barrington | 2 |
| 04/03/25 @ Rogers | 1 |
Lexi Montalban made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks any time she's pitched this season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. What's more, she posted two hits, the most she's had since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cydnee Meekins, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. Gianna Tocci was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Central entered their tilt with Paul Cuffee on Friday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They blew past Paul Cuffee 23-1. While the Knights didn't have the best season last year (they finished 3-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Jayleen White and Diana Mejia did most of the damage at the plate: White went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double, while Mejia got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one triple and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Janet Batista, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two RBI.
Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .811. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .657 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Central's win bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Cranston East, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
Everything went Cranston East's way against Central in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, as Cranston East made off with a 14-4 victory. Do the Thunderbolts have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Knights turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
