North Kingstown records 4-3 upset over Chariho

In a familiar tightrope scenario for the North Kingstown fastpitch softball team — 11 games now decided this season by three runs or less — the Lady Skippers hung on for an upset win, 4-3, over Chariho, in Division One playoff action yesterday in Richmond.

North Kingstown sophomore pitcher Taylor Butler contributed on the mound and at bat to hang on for the narrow North Kingstown win over #2 seed Chariho (15-4). The #7 Skippers now advance in the winner’s bracket to play #3 Cranston West on Sunday at 5 p.m. at Rhode Island College.

The Lady Skippers had lost to their Division Two South first-place rivals twice during the season. But they pounced on any opportunity to get runners on base against tough righty starter and ace Rebecca Williams, especially on walks and bunts. 

It turned out to be a delicate balancing act by both pitchers, who had to work themselves continuously out of several jams. Both aces struck out six batters each, but the Skippers applied constant pressure by walking eight times in all against the Chargers  

Butler helped her own cause when she singled in the third inning and moved to second on a walk. An error in center field allowed Butler to cross the plate for the game’s first run.

The visitors padded the lead in the fourth on two more unearned runs. Molly Clark singled and Maddie Grimaldi walked before Butler singled. The ball was mishandled, a bad throw was made and the score inflated to 3-0.

Following walks to Katie Marquis and Clark to lead off the sixth, Marie Whiteley niftly moved her teammate a base ahead with a sacrifice bunt. Grimaldi had a bunt single to load the bases before Williams walked her seventh batter, resulting in a 4-0 advantage. The Chargers ace recovered to get Emily Lipsitz on a fly ball to center, leaving three runners stranded.

In a dramatic seventh inning, the Chargers finally broke the scoring ice. Hannah Masse led off with a double to left and Chelsea Welch hit a single, Masse stopping at third. Williams singled to right to score the first run and with the Skippers committing two errors on the same play, Welch also came in. On a close ground-ball play, third baseman Clark nipped Michelle Mowbray at first. Sydney Scott then singled in Williams to trim the deficit to 4-3. Brianna Cole fouled off five successive pitches before Butler struck the Chargers batter out swinging as the Skippers rejoiced.

“They played very well, but we made a couple of mistakes in the field and that cost us,” said Chariho head coach Dave Petrocelli. “They turned that line drive into scoring two runs from what should have been a double play, and that ended up being the difference. And we didn’t start to hit until the final inning. But they simply outplayed us.”

“We lost to them twice during the year,” said North Kingstown head coach Adam LaLiberte. Being patient played a big part, too, he said, although the Skippers stranded several base runners.

“She (Williams) is an excellent pitcher and being patient was part of the plan,” said the first-year head coach. “Taylor was tremendous,” he added of the sophomore hurler.

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