Tigers Softball Team Tames Huskies, Await Start of Playoffs

Bring on the playoffs!

That was the cry from the members of the softball team Saturday afternoon following its efficient 10-0 blanking of Mount Hope Regional High School of Bristol in a Division II-East game played at Colt State Park in Bristol and shortened to five innings because of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League’s “mercy rule.”

Jessica Drolet scattered 4 hits and struck out 9 batters in a complete-game pitching performance and the Tigers cracked 14 hits to conclude their Division II regular-season record at 12-4. Tiverton will now await its first-round pairing in the Division II State Playoffs which open later this week.

Sophomore Sophie Costa went the distance for Mount Hope and notched 3 strikeouts. The Huskies, who have also qualified for the Division II playoffs, dropped to 6-10.

Showing no ill effects from a busy schedule during the final week of the regular campaign, Tiverton settled the issue early with a four-run outburst in the second inning and a third-run surge in the third frame. The Tigers took full advantage of several costly errors by the Huskies and Drolet wiggled out of three jams to preserve the shutout.

“The girls got down to business today and did what they had to do,” said THS Coach Arthur Mello. “Jessica pitched well, I thought we hit the ball well and our defense was solid.”

Drolet was in command all the way, bearing down in the clutch in three different innings when Mount Hope put two runners on base and ending those threats with strikeouts. She walked just 1 batter and also hit 1 batter.

Hannah Glowacki paced the Tiger attack with 3 hits, while Sarah Whiston, Sarah Barboza, Taylor Furtado and Emily Masse all finished with 2 hits.

Tiverton jumped out in front at 1-0 in the top of the first inning when Glowacki singled, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Sarah Barboza’s two-out single.

The Tigers erupted for four runs in the second frame as Furtado and Emily Masse counted on an error and Drolet helped her own cause with a two-out, two-run single to open a 5-0 cushion. Tiverton added three more scores in the third chapter when Emily Masse doubled in Furtado, Maggie Masse crossed the plate on a miscue and Whiston counted on Glowacki’s infield groundout.

The Tigers concluded their scoring in the fifth inning when Whiston singled home Emily Masse and later tallied on Rachel Pimental’s sacrifice fly.

Meanwhile, the Huskies had no luck against Drolet. Mount Hope placed runners on first and third base with two outs before Drolet slipped a third strike past Courtney Bragantin and had two more runners on base in the fourth frame until Drolet whiffed Chrystal Leitao. The Huskies’ final threat was extinguished in the final chapter when Drolet fanned Alyssa Olsen with runners at first and second base.

Mello said the Tigers are in great physical condition heading into the postseason.

“I think our recent schedule will help us in the playoffs because there are teams that have qualified that have not played in a while,” he said. “It’s good for us to keep playing so we don’t get rusty.”