Ledger does it all in North Smithfield mercy-rule win

SMITHFIELD — The winless Smithfield softball team is happy it won’t have to see North Smithfield junior Alex Ledger again until next season.

Not only did Ledger knock in three runs and hit two doubles, but the hard-throwing righthander also carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning of Tuesday night’s Division I clash at Whipple Field. Freshman Cassidy Conlin broke up the no-hitter with a one-out single, but that was the only thing that went wrong for Ledger.

The junior struck out seven batters and fired a complete-game one-hitter, while Tessa LaBarre, Kayla Butler, Hope Trowbridge, Jill DePari and Brook Artruc all scored a pair of runs in a 14-0 mercy-rule victory over the inexperienced Sentinels.

“I just went out there and pitched like I’ve been practicing,” Ledger said after earning her first victory in the circle. “I’ve pitched in two games before this and they haven’t gone that well. I knew I had to do well this game. When I was younger, I used to live up high [in the strike zone] and they would get hits, so now I’m trying to adjust to that.”

“She was perfect, perfect,” North Smithfield coach Paul Mercier said. “I can’t be more proud of her in the circle and at the plate. She had a tremendous day. I told her when she was on deck the last time that, ‘This was your game. This was your game. Let’s finish it.’ She did that.”

North Smithfield (4-3 Division I) will have a chance to earn another signature victory in its maiden season in Division I this afternoon when defending state champion Moses Brown rumbles up Route 146. The Quakers will come to town with a two-game losing streak after defeats to Chariho and North Providence.

“I would’ve pinched myself and still wouldn’t have woken up yet,” Mercier said about his team’s strong start. “We’re playing good softball and we’re competing. We’re doing what we have to do to win games. I’m just proud of the whole bunch.”

Smithfield (0-6 Division I) escaped the first inning without giving up a run, but Conlin’s inability to throw strikes proved to be her undoing in the second inning. The freshman allowed a leadoff single to Trowbridge and then DePari, Artruc and first baseman Hannah Goodier all walked. Goodier’s walk plate Trowbridge for what turned out to be the game-winning run.

LaBarre walked to score a run and Butler scored Artruc with a fielder’s choice, before Ledger finished the scoring with a line drive down the left-field line to plate two runners to increase the lead to 5-0.

“In our first games we had to hit against [Pilgrim’s] Cat Fallon and a couple of other good pitchers, so we come down here and it looks a lot slower than it actually is because we’ve seen some of those faster pitchers,” Ledger said. “I knew we all had to wait on the ball.”

Ledger ripped another double in the third inning to plate Artruc to increase the lead to six before the Northmen exploded for eight runs in the fourth inning. LaBare delivered a two-run single and then third baseman Liz Jalette scored LaBarre and Butler with a sharp single to left.

Trowbridge, who struggled at the plate to start the season, produced a two-run bloop double down the right-field line to plate a pair of runs. Trowbridge finished the night 3-for-3 to go along with a walk.

“She’s figuring it out. It’s about aggressiveness,” Mercier said. “She’s being more aggressive and less picky at the plate, and not worrying about pitch counts. I told her ‘You only have to hit one – be aggressive.’” North Smithfield 051 80 – 14 7 1 Smithfield 000 00 - 0 1 2

Alex Ledger and Tessa LaBarre; Cassidy Conlin and Meghan LaFlamme. 2B – NS, Alex Ledger 2, Hope Trowbridge.