Cranston East is 0-3 against Mt. Hope since April of 2019 but things could change on Friday. The Thunderbolts will head out on the road to face off against the Huskies at 4:30 p.m. Cranston East will aim to continue their five-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last.
Cranston East is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Exeter-West Greenwich on Wednesday as they made off with a 20-5 win. Considering the Thunderbolts have won eight matchups by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Lexi Montalban made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
Gianna Tocci
| 05/07/25 @ Exeter-West Greenwich | 4 |
| 05/02/25 @ Mt. Pleasant | 3 |
| 04/19/25 vs Shea | 3 |
| 04/10/25 @ Classical | 3 |
| 04/29/24 vs Mount St. Charles Academy | 3 |
In other batting news, Gianna Tocci was incredible, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Alice Billings, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
Cranston East was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .556. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .385 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 15 runs the game before, Mt. Hope was a bit more limited in their contest on Wednesday. They came up short against St. Raphael Academy, falling 14-0. The loss continues a trend for the Huskies in their meetings with the Saints: they've now lost four in a row.
Cranston East's record is now 9-3. As for Mt. Hope, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-10.
Mt. Hope's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Cranston East has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Mt. Hope, though, as they've been averaging only 2.2 strikeouts. Will Cranston East keep running through batters, or will the Huskies buck the trend?
Cranston East might still be hurting after the 14-4 loss they got from Mt. Hope in their previous matchup back in June of 2021. Can the Thunderbolts avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
