The Narragansett Mariners will venture away from home to take on the Westerly Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Narragansett has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Narragansett is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Central, who was ranked 13th at the time (Narragansett was ranked 16th). The Mariners fell just short of the Knights by a score of 2-1 on Wednesday.
Aidan Clancey was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Drez Owens was cooking despite his team's loss, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. Skyler Fratiello-Soule also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Westerly entered their tilt with Moses Brown on Thursday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They had just enough and edged out the Quakers 2-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted since March 28th.
Moses Brown's batters probably weren't too happy with Chase Collins, who pitched a no hitter and racked up seven Ks (he gave up zero walks).
On the hitting side, Tyler Falcone was excellent, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Jayden Parker, who went 3-for-4 with one run and one double.
Westerly pushed their record up to 7-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Narragansett, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Narragansett has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Westerly struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Narragansett came up short against Westerly when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 7-2. Can the Mariners avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
