Mistakes cost Clippers vs. EP
Errors in fifth, sixth innings allow home side to score six runs
EAST PROVIDENCE — Sydney Provencal deserved a better fate.
For the second time in three days, the Cumberland junior faced a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth inning with her team clinging to a one-run lead.
And, for the second time in three days, Provencal should’ve escaped the situation without giving any runs. Saturday night, East Providence loaded the bases, but Provencal forced two weak ground balls to bring up Sadie Patterson. The third baseman hit a ball in front of the plate. Emily Anderson fielded it, but her throw to Sam Jalbert at first was high, which allowed all three Townies on base came around to score.
The Clippers, thanks to another big hit from Katie Calabro, battled back in the seventh, but Cumberland couldn’t overcome the mistakes of the previous two innings in a 7-6 Division I defeat.
“Sydney didn’t deserve to lose this game, she deserved a better fate,” Cumberland coach Marty Crowley said. “But, sometimes that’s what happens.
“We need to make plays. When your pitcher keeps you in a game like that – we just woke up too late after falling asleep for a few innings. We need to play desperate all the time.”
Cumberland (10-5 Division I) finished a busy week with a third one-run game in four opportunities. The Clippers sandwiched onerun wins over Cranston West and Pilgrim around a well-pitched game by Provencal against North Providence.
While the defeat was frustrating for Crowley, it likely won’t hurt their playoff seed. Following Chariho’s blowout loss to North Kingstown Sunday, the Clippers are currently the No. 5 seed headed into Thursday’s game against Bay View. That would setup a quarterfinal contest in Providence against reigning state finalist La Salle.
Offensively, the Clippers were led by Calabro, who reached base three times, drove in a pair of runs and scored a run. All-State third baseman Maddie Leite delivered a tworun home run in the opening inning and she also scored a run in the seventh. It’s the second straight season Leite has homered at EP’s beautiful softball complex.
“Her home run was a shot,” Crowley said. “A lot of our kids play for (East Providence coach) Rob (Traverse) in the summer, so this is almost like their home park. They pick up the ball out of the pitcher’s hand well and see it well.”
East Providence (9-6 Division I) desperately needs the Clippers to lose one of their last two games to avoid a quarterfinal date with either reigning state champion North Kingstown or undefeated Moses Brown. The Townies, who face Pilgrim Tuesday to finish the season, received a pair of runs and a hit from catcher Alyssa Guarino.
Starting pitcher Taylor Babcock ran into trouble in the first after an infield error allowed leadoff hitter Miranda Veliu to reach first. Leite smacked the first pitch she saw from the sophomore over the left-field fence for a two-run home run. After giving up two hits in the second inning, Babcock set down 10 straight batters.
“We showed life at the end and a lot of fight, but we gave up far too many outs in the middle innings,” Crowley said. “You just can’t give up outs like we did. Rob is a great coach and his kids battled all night long, but we fell asleep for a few innings.”
The Townies cut the deficit in half in the fourth inning and then they took advantage of an infield error to score three runs in the fifth inning to grab their first lead.
Cumberland retook the lead in the sixth on runs by Provencal (double), Ally Pina (walk) and Calabro (single), but the Townies took advantage of another error with two outs in the sixth to take the lead for good.
“You learn from this and you know what you need to work on and you know what you need to do,” Crowley said. “We don’t play again until Thursday. We’ve been playing a lot games, so we need to get back to practice and work on some things.”