Sports
Coventry Crush Wins, 10-3, In Cool August Blast
Squad continues play in weekend NK Softball Tourney.
The Coventry Crush All-Star under-14 team of the Coventry Girls Softball League defeated the North Smithfield Sting, 10-3, at the 2011 Cool August Blast Tournament on Friday night at Ryan Park in North Kingstown.
Coventry broke open the game with six runs in the second inning. Sophia Gervasio led off by walloping an inside-the-park home run. Katie Cronin singled and Nicole Nardone reached on an error before Erica Jewett hit a high-pitch single to drive them both in. A Jess Maguire sacrifice bunt drove in another run and then Natalia Angelone and Madda Kearney added RBI singles.
The Sting scored twice in the bottom of the second inning when Kristen Fontaine singled in two runs.
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Coventry scored twice more in the third on a single by Gervasio and a RBI hit by Cronin, whose hard hit glanced off the pitcher’s glove for a run as Gervasio streaked all the way in. Cronin scored on a fielder’s choice for a 7-2 lead.
Coventry scored three more times in the fifth and final inning when Gervasio hit a two-run bloop single to short center. The final run came in on a well-placed sacrice bunt by Cronin.
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Gervasio concluded her fine all-around effort as a closer on the mound, retiring the final two batters to preserve the win for Maguire (allowed four hits and three runs) and the team.
Natalia Angelone made several outstanding plays at shortstop for the winners. Bianca Antonelli was also a standout defensively for the Sting.
Nicole Turcotte drove in the other Sting run on a single in the fifth.
The Crush made the defensive play of the night on a 1-3-5 double play in the third. Maguire caught a hard-hit bouncer to the mound, pivoted and threw to first baseman Erica Jewett, who then immediately threw the ball across the diamond to third where Nina Urizar applied the tag.
“Pitching was solid, our defense was almost flawless and our bats were fantastic,” said Coventry manager Don Fascio. “This is our sixth and last tournament and would love to close our season with a championship. We finished second in Lowell at a tournament in June and these girls have worked so hard.”
It was also a banner day for all five CGSL All-Star teams which all won their tournament games for the first time on the same day.
