Mount belts 3 home runs to down NS
Newcomb picks up win, hits three-run homer
NORTH SMITHFIELD — The biggest issue Mount St. Charles softball coach Cliff Matthews had with his veteran squad last season in Division I was the Mounties’ penitent for losing one-run games.
The Mounties made sure that wasn’t an issue in their Division II opener Monday afternoon against talented North Smithfield.
Senior pitcher Taylor Newcomb didn’t allow a run in her three innings of work and she also smashed one of her team’s three home runs. Marissa Santoro hit a grand slam in the seventh inning as part of a three-hit day to lead the Mounties to a 14-4 victory at Pacheco Park.
“We hit the ball really well today and we didn’t make any mistakes in the field,” Matthews said. “I think we took our foot off the gas and we lost a little bit of intensity as the game went on, but we got it back in the last few innings. I also liked that we played good, clean defense because North Smithfield hit the ball hard.”
North Smithfield coach Paul Mercier knows he has a talented squad, but his biggest concerns going into the season manifested themselves on both sides of the ball. Mercier has six girls playing different positions and the Northmen committed two errors, which led to three unearned runs in the third inning to help Mount open up a five-run lead.
The Northmen also committed numerous base-running mistakes, including one in the second inning with talented junior lead-off hitter Vanessa Venkataraman at the plate.
“The game was everything I thought it was going to be,” Mercier said. “I just think that we need to have more practice with our fielding and see who’s going to be able to play
where. This game was more of a feel-out type of thing. I just think we didn’t have enough.
“I told the girls after the game that we fought hard for seven innings – and we did. We left runners on and we had a lot of missed signs. It was just a lot of underclassmen mistakes.”
Mount St. Charles (1-0 Division II) struggled offensively last season, but the Mounties connected for 18 hits, including the home runs from Newcomb, Sophia Monti and Santoro, against a pair of North Smithfield pitchers
After the Northmen (0-1 Division II) failed to take advantage of walks to Venkataraman and Liz Jalette in the first inning, the Mounties opened the scoring in the second when Victoria Young and sophomore outfielder Kaitlyn D’Abrosca produced back-to-back RBI singles.
‘Can we hit all season like we did today,” Matthews wondered. “You’d like to hope so.”
The Northmen ran themselves out of the second inning, as Sky O’Connell threw out a pair of would-be base stealers. The Mounties received unearned runs from Newcomb, Shea Kelliher and Monti to open up a five-run lead.
The lead was 10-0 in the fourth inning thanks to two swings of the bat. First, Newcomb connected on a three-run off of Venkataraman. Riley Mulligan and Talia Williams also scored on the play.
Four batters later, Kelliher cruised home on Monti’s blast to center field.
The game would’ve been over if Mount freshman Victoria Young kept the Northmen off the scoreboard in the fifth inning, but Malibu Champagne (single), Hope Trowbridge (single), Butler (sacrifice bunt) and Jalette (single) all scored runs. The Northmen had the bases loaded with two outs, but Champagne lined out to second to end the inning.
“I told the girls that we’re going to make errors and we’re going to have problems, but the one thing we’re always going to do is go down with a fight,” Mercier said. “I told them to show Mount we weren’t just going to roll over and die. We made some line-drive outs and the girls did exactly what I wanted them to do. That’s the best part, they showed that we have something to build on with the way they fought.”
Mount stranded the bases loaded in the sixth inning, but the road side didn’t make the same mistake in the seventh. Newcomb, O’Connell and MacKenzie Morin all reached base in front of Santoro, who smashed a grand slam.
The Mounties will take a big step up in competition Wednesday with an Injury Fund contest against a Pilgrim team brimming with talent in D-I. North Smithfield, meanwhile, will be back in Division II action Wednesday against rebuilding Narragansett.
“I thought Vanessa was around the plate all day,” Mercier said of his junior hurler who pitched into the fourth inning before giving way to Kayla Butler. “The zone was a little tight, but It was the mental part of the game that let us down.”
“I told them to show Mount we weren’t just going to roll over and die. We made some line-drive outs and the girls did exactly what I wanted them to do.” – North Smithfield coach Paul Mercier