DiOrio strikes out 14 Novans
WOONSOCKET — The Lincoln softball team is a dangerous .500 squad.
Coming into Tuesday afternoon’s Division I contest with Blackstone Valley rival Woonsocket, the young Lions had lost their six contests by just a combined 21 runs.
Senior pitcher Bella DiOrio finally received some early run support against the Novans and she took care of the rest. Junior Julia Lombardi cracked a two-run triple as part of a four-run second inning, while lefty Jordan Delisle and senior Delaney Cavanaugh each reached base three times and scored two runs in a 9-0 victory at Cold Spring Park.
“Our lineup is working and it helps to have Grace Swanson back and she’s a real asset to the team,” Lincoln coach Kevin Palumbo said. “Riley (Riendeau) is really hitting the ball and my catcher (Hope Walinski) is hitting the ball. Julia is hitting the ball and Delaney has been getting on base in the lead-off spot. This is the lineup I like going forward.”
As good as the Lions were at the plate, DiOrio was even better in the circle. The hard-throwing senior struck out the side three times and finished the afternoon with 14 strikeouts against just three hits, two of which came in the seventh inning.
“My outside curve was working really well and so was my rise ball when they swung at it, but it was higher than usual,” DiOrio said. “I just hit the corners today and it was so much easier to pitch with the lead. The pressure comes off and we were hitting today, which is something that we haven’t done in a while.”
Lincoln (7-6 Division I) is entering its toughest stretch of the season with the two favorites to play for the state title, undefeated Moses Brown and reigning state champion North Kingstown, on the schedule over the next week. First, the Lions make the trip to Providence to face the Quakers Friday afternoon.
“Moses Brown has two of the best pitchers in the state, so we really need to work on our bunting,” Palumbo said. “I don’t know if we’re going to get too many hits against them, so we really need to get our bunts down.”
Woonsocket (2-12 Division I) was coming off its most impressive performance of the season in a road win last week over Tolman. Tuesday’s game started poorly for the Novans – an infield error allowed Cavanaugh to score the opening run of the game in the first – and didn’t get much better.
The usual suspects, Abbie Roderick, Holly Letourneau and Lundyn Forcier, all recorded singles, but no one below Forcier in the order put the ball in play against DiOrio.
“Part of the growing process is learning how to come to these games mentally prepared,” Woonsocket coach Dan Belisle said. “We didn’t have that and it really showed up with all of the strikeouts and the poor start. That’s something that I have to fix and I need help from the girls. You can’t just show up and think you’re going to play well. You have to come to the field prepared.”
Cavanaugh, who has performed well in the leadoff role since she was moved there prior to the Coventry contest, started the game with an infield single and she moved all the way to third on a throwing error after a sacrifice bunt by Lombardi. Cavanaugh scored on a double steal.
The Lions tacked on four more runs to their lead in the second. Delisle singled and scored on a double by Gabrielle Smith. Smith and Cavanaugh both trotted home on Lombard’s triple down the third-base line and Riendeau finished the scoring with a single to center to plate the junior.
DiOrio followed with six consecutive strikeouts where she threw just three balls.
“Dominant,” Palumbo said of his ace. “She’s just one of the best out there and we got some run support for her, which takes pressure of the pitcher.”
“We took a step backwards today,” Belisle said. “You have to give (DiOrio) credit for the way she pitched. We’re better than striking out 14 times, we shouldn’t have been overmatched. They weren’t making good adjustments and they weren’t going to the plate with a positive mindset.”
Forcier settled down after the second inning and allowed just four hits and no runs over the next four innings. The Lions knocked the junior from the game in the seventh, as Riendeau hit an RBI triple and scored later in the play on a throwing error. Smith delivered an RBI single and Nicole Accardi drew a bases-loaded walk to play Delisle.
The Novans, who visit winless West Warwick Friday afternoon, tried to break up the shutout in the seventh, as Letourneau and Forcier hit back-to-back singles. But, as was the case all afternoon, DiOrio struck out a pair of Novans to end the inning.