Errors do in Clippers vs. second-place Patriots

Softball

WARWICK – The Cumberland High softball team learned a valuable lesson on Thursday

You can’t give teams – especially good ones – extra outs to work with. The mistakes you make will only come back to haunt you.

Such was the case as Pilgrim walked off with a 2-1 win. Caitlyn Fallon delivered a line drive base hit into left that chased home Dyonna Rodas from second base with no outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Rodas reached on one of three errors committed by the Clippers, now 7-6 in Division I. Two of those miscues resulted in the two runs the Patriots (11-2) would need en route to picking up their sixth straight win. Pilgrim’s first run was produced by a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded by Madison Damato. The run could be traced back to a Cumberland error that led off the second inning.

“Both of the runs were unearned, but it happens,” said CHS head coach Marty Crowley.

The Clippers did turn in some nice plays defensively. Makayla Chandler made a pair of acrobatic catches in right field while Hailey Ballou made a nice pick at shortstop in the fourth inning that kept Cumberland’s deficit at one run.

On the plus side, Crowley may have found an additional run for the stretch drive in Olivia Badeau. The freshman drew the start and allowed just one unearned run in four innings. Badeau escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first and finished with one strikeout compared to two walks – none coming after the first inning.

Badeau was in the circle when Cumberland’s game against North Providence was halted earlier in the week. The ninth grader also saw time in the circle in a non-league game against Prout last month.

“She was absolutely. outstanding for us today,” Crowley said. “She did everything that was asked of her. We couldn’t be happier.”

Injuries have left the Clippers with just one experienced pitcher in senior and Bryant University signee Jocelyn Bodington, who relieved Badeau in the fifth inning. Bodington pitched three innings with three strikeouts and three walks.

“If we need her, we’ll throw her,” said Crowley when asked if he planned to use Badeau again.

Cumberland tied the game in the fifth as Hannah LaRose scored on a wild pitch. The Clippers had runners in scoring position with one out but could only produce the one run against Fallon, the Pilgrim pitcher who finished with 10 strikeouts.

The Clippers had a golden chance to take the lead in the sixth as Alexandra Pina led off with a double, but Fallon retired the next three. Cumberland finished with just four hits.

“We’ve got to go back and work on our execution,” Crowley said. “It’s tough. We’re in a stretch of playing games and not practicing and it’s starting to affect us now.”

The Clippers have three games remaining before the playoffs. The first one takes place Friday afternoon against North Providence.