Woonsocket survives Tolman upset bid
Forcier pitches complete game, drives in four runs for Villa Novans
WOONSOCKET — Tolman softball coach Scott Cooper and his counterpart from Woonsocket, Dan Belisle had seen this game all too many times this season.
The tough-luck Tigers, who had won two of their previous three games, showed in games earlier in the season against Cumberland, Pilgrim and Bay View that they can play with better teams, but little mistakes doomed them in each case.
That proved to be the case again Monday afternoon against the lackluster Villa Novans at Cold Spring Park. Tolman stranded five runners in scoring position and made a couple of backbreaking errors, while Woonsocket senior pitcher Lundyn Forcier pitched a complete game and added three hits and four RBIs in a 5-3 Division I victory.
“I know Dan and he’s a great coach and I know how he feels,” Cooper said. “I already told my team, I’ll bet you right now [Belisle] is telling his kids that Tolman should’ve beaten us.’ In my eyes, we beat ourselves. When we had two outs in a couple of innings, we couldn’t make the plays. We should’ve won the game and we didn’t. We have to go back to the drawing board and get better.”
Belisle wouldn’t go as far as saying the Tigers should’ve won the game, but he felt his Villa Novans came out flat and never played with the requisite intensity needed to win a Division I softball game.
Woonsocket (6-6 Division I) has the opportunity to move over .500 for the first time since starting 3-0 when struggling Lincoln comes to Cold Spring Park this afternoon, but Belisle knows his team has to play better. “We lack intensity and we’re not playing with any pep,” Belisle said. “We’re not playing inspired and it almost cost us today. We have to play better than this because we’re a better team than this, but a lot of it is just attitude.” The reality for the Villa Novans is they were bailed out by Forcier, who did just about everything to ensure a victory. The senior righty stranded the bases loaded in the second inning after an infield error and she stranded the game-tying run at second base in the seventh inning when she struck out Mackenzie Laliberte for her sixth strikeout of the contest. Forcier dominated the middle of the contest, setting down eight straight Tigers at one point. She ended up allowing two earned runs and seven hits. “Lundyn pitched really well today,” Belisle said. “She got ahead of hitters, she kept her pitch count down and her defense did a good job behind her.” Tolman (2-9 Division I) had one hitter who Forcier couldn’t solve in senior centerfielder Ally Larson. The RIC-bound Tiger went 4-for4 with a double and a run scored. Larson was thrown out trying to steal second to end the first, but she was stranded at first in the third and she represented the game-tying run at second when the game ended. “Ally is such a good hitter because she’s patient, she waits for her pitch and she crushes the ball,” Cooper said. “Ally is the type of hitter who knows how to go middle-out and middle-in. She knows where to place her front foot and how to swing the bat. You have to take what the pitcher is giving you.” Forcier scored catcher Maddy Hereth with a single to open the scoring in the first, but Tolman grabbed a run back in the next inning when Summer Bergeron was hit by a pitch to score Amanda Maillet. Novan junior Abbie Roderick, who stole three bases and scored two runs, put her team ahead in the third on a Forcier RBI single. The Novans extended their lead to two in the fifth on a Lauren Peloquin RBI single to score Roderick, but Larson doubled and scored in the fifth. Forcier, who stranded the game-tying and go-ahead runs in the sixth , hit a two-run bloop single to right field in the sixth to score Maddy Thibodeau (triple) and Holly Letourneau (walk). Those runs proved pivotal because with one out in the seventh, Hannah Coken (single), Sophie Marchese (walk) and Larson (single) loaded the bases. Maillet drove in a run with a ground out, but Laliberte struck out to end the game. Tolman faces the most difficult challenge in the state tomorrow afternoon when Moses Brown brings its pair of Division I hurlers – Ali Blanchard and Janel Gamache – to Bailey Field. The Quakers suffered their first loss of the season Monday against Chariho. Tolman 010 001 1–372 Woonsocket 101 012 x–592 Hannah Coken, Jaylee Martinez (5) and Mackenzie Laliberte; Lundyn Forcier and Maddy Hereth. 2B – T, Larson; W, Forcier; 3B – W, Maddy Thibodeau.