The Cranston East Thunderbolts will be playing in front of their home fans against the La Salle Academy Rams at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The last five games Cranston East has played (dating back to last season) have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
On Thursday, it was a hard-fought matchup, but Cranston East had to settle for a 7-5 defeat against South Kingstown. Cranston East has not had much luck with South Kingstown recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.
Jayden Tolentino made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with a home run and a stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Jerusalen Leon, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks at the plate in their last three games, La Salle Academy finally came back down to earth on Thursday. They fell 6-2 to North Kingstown. The loss was La Salle Academy's first of the season.
Matt Destefanis was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk).
At the plate, Thomas Malloy made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Cranston East now has a losing record at 1-2. As for La Salle Academy, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cranston East has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like La Salle Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cranston East came up short against La Salle Academy in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, falling 7-3. Will Cranston East have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
