Quakers too much for Cumberland
PROVIDENCE – Simply put, the Cumberland High softball team ran into a powerful buzz saw at Moran Field.
Buoyed by four home runs and five nohit innings from junior/Lincoln resident Ali Blanchard, Moses Brown maintained its perfect start to the season with a convincing 12-0 “mercy-rule” victory over Cumberland on Wednesday. The Quakers (12-0 Division I, 13-0 overall) put the game out of reach with six runs in the fourth inning after Blanchard got out of a bases-loaded jam in top of the same frame.
“They’re a good team that can hit, but I can’t remember the last time we were either no-hit or mercy ruled. It’s been a long time,” CHS head coach Marty Crowley said. “We got it handed to us today, but we’ll turn the page and go back to work.”
Moses Brown set the tone early as sophomore Emma Campbell led off the game with a home run. The lead grew to 3-0 when Blanchard aided her cause with a two-run poke. The Quakers scored four times on four hits in the first inning.
The lead grew to 5-0 in the third as Campbell, the team’s No. 3 hitter, walked and came around to score on Janel Gamache’s two-run homer. Of the five walks issued by Cumberland pitching, four of them eventually came around to score.
Liv Murray highlighted Moses Brown’s six-run uprising in the fourth with a two-run homer. Blanchard ended up reaching base three times and scoring three runs.
The only threat the Clippers (7-4, Division I) mustered against Blanchard came in the fourth. Maddi Leite, Ally Pina, and Emily Anderson all drew walks, but Cumberland couldn’t capitalize.
The Clippers did not hit the ball out of the infield against Blanchard, who finished with eight strikeouts.
“Ali is one of the more mentally tough pitchers you’ll see,” Moses Brown head coach Peter DeStefano said. “She’s just a dominant pitcher.”
“It definitely takes a lot of weight off my shoulders when we get a lot of runs like that,” Blanchard said. “Everyone becomes much more relaxed and that shows in our fielding.”
Moses Brown is new to Division I competition this season after falling to Woonsocket in last year’s Division II title game. The Quakers still have games against fellow D-I contenders La Salle ( May 16) and North Kingstown (May 26).
“For us, coming up from Division II, Cumberland is one of the programs that we watched and respected,” DeStefano said. “Today was our day, but they’re still dangerous. We’ll probably see them again and it’s probably going to be a battle.”
Cumberland will play three nonleague games against Massachusettsbased teams this weekend before returning to in-state competition next Monday night at Cranston West.
“It’s a good chance to regroup and regain our swagger a little bit,” Crowley said. “We’ve lost a couple of tough ones recently with a win over a good Lincoln team inbetween. Hopefully we can be a little bit more consistent with our at-bats.”