Woonsocket gets off to slow start in loss to Pats
WOONSOCKET — Woonsocket softball coach Dan Belisle just wants to see some consistency out of his Villa Novans.
The Novans started the season with three straight wins – including a pair of blowouts – but they followed it up with three straight losses thanks to some inopportune defensive mistakes and a lack of offense.
After Tuesday afternoon’s eight-inning win over Bay View thanks to Lauren Peloquin’s walk-off home run, Belisle was hoping to carry the momentum into Wednesday’s game against talented Pilgrim at Cold Spring Park. Instead, the Novans reverted to the team that lost to Coventry and Cumberland, as the Patriots took advantage of walks and defensive mistakes to secure a 13-4 Division I victory.
“They’re a good team and they hit the ball hard against us,” Belisle said. “We just need to be better. We’re at the halfway point and we’re in the thick of the playoff race. We just need to play better in the second half of the year than we did in the first. We’re just trying to gear up for the playoffs and get better.”
Woonsocket (4-4 Division I) struggled to hit Pilgrim starter Emily Carter through the first three innings, but the middle of the Novan order got to the righty in the fourth inning. Junior shortstop Holly Letourneau led off with a single and scored on a double by Lundyn Forcier. Peloquin then hit a triple to left field to plate pinch runner Madison Thibodeau. Peloquin scored on a Joevonna Barnwell sacrifice fly.
The Novans only scored one more run – a Thibodeau run in the sixth inning on a Barnwell ground out – against a pair of Pilgrim pitchers. Carter allowed four hits and three runs in four innings, while reliever Cat Fallon allowed a run on two hits in three innings.
“We had a little trouble with the offspeed pitch, [Carter] did a nice job changing speeds,” Belisle said. “She had us off-balance. When you fall behind by four runs and then more runs, you start to press at the plate. It was tough for us.”
Forcier worked around a leadoff single in the first by Maddy D’Amato, but the bottom of the Patriots’ order gave Carter a lead in the second she would never relinquish. Taylor Suffoletto hit a one-out single and scored on single by Karly Evans. Evans and Mackenzie Hough scored on a two-run triple by Dyonna Rodas.
The Patriots scored two more runs in the third inning on RBI hits by Suffoletto and Hough to stretch the lead to five. Forcier allowed four more runs in the fourth inning before Abbie Roderick pitched the final three innings.
“Sometimes I blame slow starts on myself or they don’t come to the ballpark ready to play. That wasn’t the case today, we were ready to play,” Belisle said. “We were excited to play and we were focused. It just wasn’t our day today. Give Pilgrim credit, they just beat us.”
Life doesn’t get any easier for the Novans because they travel to East Providence tomorrow night to take on a talented Townie team led by former Davies Tech standout hurler Tanya Cooper. Pilgrim 042 403 0 – 13 11 1 Woonsocket 000 301 0–261
Emily Carter, Caitlyn Fallon (5) and Dyonna Rodas; Lundyn Forcier, Abbie Roderick (5) and Julia Beech and Mia Plasse.
PAWTUCKET — St. Raphael freshman pitcher Jillian Serra went 4-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while catcher Saylor Costa belted a second-inning grand slam and finished the afternoon with five RBIs in the Saints’ 16-2 mercy-rule win over Ponaganset at Hank Soar Wednesday.
The Saints also received three hits and two RBIs from Maddie Nault and two hits and two runs scored and Tori Jacques added two hits and two runs scored.
St. Raphael (8-2 Division II) makes one of its longest road trips of the season Saturday afternoon when the Saints visit Portsmouth at 4.
Ponaganset 110 00 – 2 5 1
St. Raphael 357 1x – 16 16 2
Kendra Hessell, Meghan Campbell (4) and Victoria Cramer; Jillian Serra and Saylor Costa.