CNBLL Softball Are New England Champions

By Doug Doidge

Cranston National had a very good year. In addition to the 11-12 Majors girls, the 9-10 Minors kids also captured the Rhode Island Little League state title. At the Eastern Regional tournament in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, the girls swept the New England games, defeating Maine 10-0 and Vermont 15-3, both via no-hitters, before besting a tough Connecticut team, 5-2, securing the New England crown.

As the New England #1 seed, Cranston faced Exton Little League (from PA), the mid-Atlantic #2 seed. Quickly down 5-0 at the end of two innings, CNBLL battled back with one in the third and two in the fifth, but could not push across any more against the very good PA pitcher, losing the game 5-3, their first loss of the tournament.

In the consolation game, Cranston once again faced North Branford, CT, defeating them 4-3 in a very tight, down-to-the-last-pitch game. In her third appearance of the tournament, Josie Di Troia closed the door with stellar relief pitching, holding the PA hitters in check. Through the tournament, Di Troia pitched 16 innings, allowing only three runs and posting a 1.17 era. Opposing hitters could only muster 7 hits against her as she stuck out 23 and walked only six. Emily Durigan drove in a pair of runs with a double and single and Liz Lewandowski chipped in with three hits and an RBI.

During the all-star summer, Durigan led the team with a total of 19 hits, a whopping 1.033 slugging and team-leading .694 on-base percentage. She and Sydney Casale were the hitting stars in the PA tournament. Durigan smashed three doubles and a homerun while Casale belted two doubles, two triples and punctuated her totals with a timely homerun.

The Bessette twins, Emily and MacKenzie, both contributed greatly to the team, both at the plate and in the field. With Emily at shortstop and “Kenz” at first, the pair routinely made the tough plays to keep the opposition at bay. Emily led the team with 14 runs in the three tournaments this summer (districts, states and regionals) with MacKenzie checking in with 13 runs. In district play against Elmwood, the two led the team in hits with six apiece.

This year was tough one for Sophia Dipippo as she was forced to watch much of it from the bench, recovering from an injury early in the season. Going into this year, she was slated as the team’s top pitcher, but was not able to compete due to the injury. At regionals, Dipippo was able to play in a limited role and even earned her chance for a few innings on the mound, recording a no-hitter with Sophia Ferry against Vermont in the Old Forge regional tournament. Despite the injury, Dipippo was instrumental when her turn came, leading the team in on-base percentage at .800 in regional play.

Ferry rounded out an impressive group of pitchers on this team. Often, a team will have just a single top-tier pitcher. This team has six pitchers that can consistently throw strikes and shut-down a team’s lineup. Ferry was just as fearsome with a bat in her hand, driving three doubles and knocking in 11 runs in the 12 games this summer.

Speaking of dominant pitchers... Ava Brandow is about as good a pitcher as you will see anywhere at this age group. She was dominant all summer and instrumental in the teams wins over Warwick West Side in the Rhode Island state tournament. Brandow is also lethal with the bat, blasting two homers and leading the team with 21 RBIs. In the RI tournament, she batted an incredible .781 with 11 hits.

Versatility was an important role on this team and none filled that better than Madison Salvato and Lyndsay Brandow. Both can play most any position (and often did) with confidence and reliability. Coach Tom Lewandowski never had to worry about his depth-chart as every position could be played multiple players at any moment. Both Lyndsay and Salvato were among the team’s fastest baserunners and helped CNBLL keep the pressure on the oposition’s defense.

Avery Izzi is also a highly valuable player that can play most any position, from catcher to infield to catching fly’s in the outfield. Izzi batted an impressive .462 in her 12 games and was 2nd on the team in Old Forge with a .714 on-base percentage, causing fits for the defense while on base.

Behind the plate, Delaney Doidge is among the area’s best. She caught every inning in the PA tournament and very few baserunners dare tested her arm. On offense, she was second with 18 hits and a .621 average, driving in 13. Doidge led the team with 7 hits in Pennsylvania and, in the RI tournament, had 10 hits and batted an incredible .833.

Our coach, Tom Lewandowski, is one proud father. His daughter, Liz, plays her role as “table-setter” to near perfection. As the team’s 2-hole hitter, her job is simple... get on base! Liz amassed 11 hits and a .568 on-base percentage and scored 11 runs. In PA, she led the team by reaching safely nine times, providing our power hitters ample opportunity to drive her home. In the field, she was rock-solid at second base, making play after play, keeping the team in every game.

One interesting fact about this team... 8 of the 11 girls attend Stone Hill Elementary school... EIGHT! What a wonderful summer for the girls and the coaches (Tom, Rich Ferry and Mike Casale). Special thanks our chairman, PJ Bessette and president, KJ Howe, to all the parents and Cranston National Budlong Little League volunteers, without whom none of this would have been possible. Great job everyone!