MHS 2011 Playoffs: Islanders Advance to Play Portsmouth Monday

The Girls Softball Team won a nine inning thriller against Prout on Friday afternoon, advancing them to the next round of play against Portsmouth High School on Monday at Rhode Island College.

Monday's winner will play Narragansett High School on Tuesday in the continued battle for the state championship title.

MHS vs. Prout Recap

Friday afternoon's game saw the two squads trading leads all afternoon, with the Islanders winning 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI single by Chelsea Dowler.

Prout jumped out early against Middletown, with an RBI triple followed by an RBI double to take a 2-0 lead. Prout's pitching retired the Islanders in the bottom of the first in order. Islander starting pitcher Brittany Lewis settled down and had a one, two, three inning in the second, and Middletown got on the board after an RBI single to cut the Prout lead to one.

Prout added to their lead in the top of the third with another RBI double, taking a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the inning.  

The Islanders added a run in the bottom of the third to once more cut the Prout lead to one run.  

Neither team scored in the fourth and Lewis shut down Prout in the fifth, putting back to back scoreless innings for the first time in the game.

Tie in the 6th

The Islanders were loud and proud in the bottom of the fifth, as they are throughout the game.  After a sac bunt brought home a run, the Islander bench exploded with cheers. The game was now tied at 3 heading into the sixth.

In the top of the sixth one of the most impressive fielding plays of the year was made.  

Prout had a runner on first and the batter at the plate had shown bunt.  Grace Eng was playing third and saw the Prout batter begin to show bunt. Grace then crept in ever so slowly, like a Lion ready to pounce on it's prey. Grace was almost standing on home plate when the Prout batter attempted the bunt, but Grace was right there. The ball popped straight into Eng's glove, and she then fired a rocket to first base to double up the runner on first who had wandered too far.  

Grace was fired up. The Islander bench was fired up. There were two down just like that. Prout could have lost some momentum after that play, but instead they hit another RBI double to take back the lead, 4-3.

Prout retired the Islanders in the bottom of the sixth and took a 4-3 lead into the top of the seventh, hoping to add to their lead.  

They did just that, and they did it in a big way.  Prout's No. 7 stepped to the plate and tore the cover off the ball, sending it over the left field fence for a solo home run and give her team a 5-3 lead.  

Some teams can cave under the pressure of being down two runs and only one inning to make them up. That team, however, is not the Islanders.

Bottom of the seventh heroics ensued, as seniors Lauren Paiva and Grace Eng both had RBI singles to tie the game up. The Middletown faithful erupted in cheers. The Middletown bench was making so much noise you could barely hear yourself talk. It's that kind of rallying that keeps this team alive no matter what the situation.

The bases were then loaded with Islander seniors. Brittany Lewis was on first, with Grace Eng on second and Lauren Paiva on third.  Unfortunately, that is where they stayed as we headed into the ninth inning.

Ninth Inning high stakes drama

Prout took back the lead in the top of the ninth with another RBI single.  Grace Eng, who had replaced Lewis on the mound, then got the next two batters out and we headed into a bottom of the ninth, down by one situation for Middletown.

The never say die attitude of the Islanders shined as bright as ever in the ninth. After Glenn Murphy reached second base, Prout had a chance to kill the momentum created by Middletown, but a bobbled outfield play, put Islanders on 2nd and 3rd.  

Brittany Lewis stepped to the plate and ripped a ball into the outfield, Glenn Murphy scored, tying the game, and Grace Eng raced home to try and win the game, but a very questionable call at home had her out.  

There was now two outs. A tie game. Chelsea Dowler stepped to the plate for Middletown. She battled a hard count. She stayed in the box. That focus was rewarded as she ripped a ball into the outfield which brought home the winning run and caused a thermonuclear explosion of cheers from her teammates.

Final score

The Islanders won the game in thrilling fashion. Final score was 7-6.

Post game

An interview with Head Coach Robin Ramey after the game:

Patch: What's it like as a coach, emotionally, to watch your team go through a roller coaster game like this? 
Ramey: Through each inning I was just waiting for someone to be the spark we needed to ignite a run so we could take the lead. Nine innings of having faith in my team was worth the wait.

Patch: Can you talk about the double play Grace made when Prout attempted a bunt and she was right there to catch the botched attempt and fire it to first to double Prout up.
Ramey: Grace is always ready and focused.  She is always one step ahead of the competition.  I expected nothing less.

Patch: You play Portsmouth next.  Both regular season games were decided by one run, with your team wining both.  What do you expect to see from Portsmouth?
Ramey: I expect a good ole fashioned rivalry.  I am so happy for Portsmouth and how far they have come.  I expect a battle.

What's next?

The Middletown High School Islanders now advance to the next round at Rhode Island college to face division rival Portsmouth High School. In their two regular season meetings, the Islanders narrowly beat the Patriots, 1-0 and 12-11, respectively.  

The Islanders certainly have a shot at winning it all. It is entirely up to them to make that happen.  

The drive for a state championship title continues on June 6 when they take on Portsmouth High School at Rhode Island College. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.