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CRANSTON — Westerly supplied the only thunder and lightning you could find on this perfect Wednesday night at Brayton Park.
The Bulldogs struck with authority and in an eyeblink while turning this Division I softball quarterfinal with Cranston West in their favor.
Addison Poole, Dacia Gingerella and Bella Mazzarese belted consecutive home runs in the top of the fifth inning, erasing a three-run deficit. Those three swings added up to a knockout blow against the Falcons, who were cruising at that point toward a semifinal date with unbeaten Chariho.
Instead it will be Westerly taking on its rival thanks to a stunning 6-4 triumph, a result that was more of a surprise for how it happened than the No. 6 seed toppling the No. 3 seed in the winner’s bracket.
“There was kind of a little lift off our backs,” Poole said. “Once we have a lot of energy it just gets better and better as the game goes on.”
Cranston West carried a 4-1 lead after four frames and looked relatively comfortable. Frankie Arnold drew a leadoff walk to put the tying run in the on-deck circle and Poole worked the count full before crushing a no-doubter to deep left-center, a two-run shot that made it a one-run game.
“All the pressure got put on them and off of us,” Gingerella said. “That makes it easier.”
Gingerella dug in next and went the same direction with a 1-0 pitch, but the senior outfielder by her own admission isn’t the same power threat as Poole. She was running hard out of the box and halfway to second base when the ball landed beyond the fence to make it a 4-4 game.
“I was told to run,” Gingerella said. “I was running as hard as I could to first.”
Mazzarese was next and completed a unique sort of hat trick with a towering drive to left-center. The wind and warm evening air proved a perfect combination to help the ball sail out just beyond the 200-foot mark, and it was suddenly a one-run lead for the Bulldogs.
“I feel like if it was only one it wouldn’t have been as energetic as it was,” Poole said. “It was really good.”
Maddie Harvey added some insurance on a sacrifice fly to left, as Westerly sent all nine hitters to the plate and scored five runs in a game-changing rally. Arnold seemed to catch her second wind in the circle from there, stranding the bases loaded with a strikeout to end the fifth and retiring six of the last seven batters she faced. Gingerella and left fielder Madison Mankoff both made diving catches to help the Bulldogs maintain the momentum.
“I love them all,” Gingerella said. “Being a senior, I’m going to miss them next year. I couldn’t do anything without them.”
The Falcons (14-7) were riding an eight-game winning streak and started brightly again. Izzy Marcano’s run-scoring single through the left side, an infield error that plated two runs and a sacrifice fly to center by Caroline Nelson staked Cranston West to a 4-0 lead after three. The Bulldogs (15-6) used an infield error to manage a lone run in the fourth and counted five singles before starting their third trip through the lineup.
“People around [Arnold] pick her up and tell her it’s OK,” Poole said of her sophomore classmate and Bay View transfer. “It’s great to have her back this year.”
Cranston West drops to the loser’s bracket and will face Pilgrim with its season on the line next time out. Westerly pulled out a nine-inning classic with Smithfield in the preliminary round and now has a date with the Chargers, who walked off with their own quarterfinal win against the Patriots. Chariho is a perfect 21-0 on the season but needed an Anna Tretton single in the bottom of the seventh to record a 2-1 victory.
“We can get them,” Gingerella said. “We got these girls. We can get them.”
Westerly 000 150 0 — 6 12 2
Cranston West 013 000 0 — 4 6 3
Frankie Arnold and Ella Keegan. Izzy Marcano and Payton Wells. HR — Addison Poole, Dacia Gingerella, Bella Mazzarese (W).
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 3 consecutive homers send Westerly softball past CW in D-1 quarterfinal
Continue reading...
The Bulldogs struck with authority and in an eyeblink while turning this Division I softball quarterfinal with Cranston West in their favor.
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Addison Poole, Dacia Gingerella and Bella Mazzarese belted consecutive home runs in the top of the fifth inning, erasing a three-run deficit. Those three swings added up to a knockout blow against the Falcons, who were cruising at that point toward a semifinal date with unbeaten Chariho.
Instead it will be Westerly taking on its rival thanks to a stunning 6-4 triumph, a result that was more of a surprise for how it happened than the No. 6 seed toppling the No. 3 seed in the winner’s bracket.
“There was kind of a little lift off our backs,” Poole said. “Once we have a lot of energy it just gets better and better as the game goes on.”
Cranston West carried a 4-1 lead after four frames and looked relatively comfortable. Frankie Arnold drew a leadoff walk to put the tying run in the on-deck circle and Poole worked the count full before crushing a no-doubter to deep left-center, a two-run shot that made it a one-run game.
“All the pressure got put on them and off of us,” Gingerella said. “That makes it easier.”
Gingerella dug in next and went the same direction with a 1-0 pitch, but the senior outfielder by her own admission isn’t the same power threat as Poole. She was running hard out of the box and halfway to second base when the ball landed beyond the fence to make it a 4-4 game.
“I was told to run,” Gingerella said. “I was running as hard as I could to first.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Mazzarese was next and completed a unique sort of hat trick with a towering drive to left-center. The wind and warm evening air proved a perfect combination to help the ball sail out just beyond the 200-foot mark, and it was suddenly a one-run lead for the Bulldogs.
“I feel like if it was only one it wouldn’t have been as energetic as it was,” Poole said. “It was really good.”
Maddie Harvey added some insurance on a sacrifice fly to left, as Westerly sent all nine hitters to the plate and scored five runs in a game-changing rally. Arnold seemed to catch her second wind in the circle from there, stranding the bases loaded with a strikeout to end the fifth and retiring six of the last seven batters she faced. Gingerella and left fielder Madison Mankoff both made diving catches to help the Bulldogs maintain the momentum.
“I love them all,” Gingerella said. “Being a senior, I’m going to miss them next year. I couldn’t do anything without them.”
The Falcons (14-7) were riding an eight-game winning streak and started brightly again. Izzy Marcano’s run-scoring single through the left side, an infield error that plated two runs and a sacrifice fly to center by Caroline Nelson staked Cranston West to a 4-0 lead after three. The Bulldogs (15-6) used an infield error to manage a lone run in the fourth and counted five singles before starting their third trip through the lineup.
“People around [Arnold] pick her up and tell her it’s OK,” Poole said of her sophomore classmate and Bay View transfer. “It’s great to have her back this year.”
Cranston West drops to the loser’s bracket and will face Pilgrim with its season on the line next time out. Westerly pulled out a nine-inning classic with Smithfield in the preliminary round and now has a date with the Chargers, who walked off with their own quarterfinal win against the Patriots. Chariho is a perfect 21-0 on the season but needed an Anna Tretton single in the bottom of the seventh to record a 2-1 victory.
“We can get them,” Gingerella said. “We got these girls. We can get them.”
Westerly 000 150 0 — 6 12 2
Cranston West 013 000 0 — 4 6 3
Frankie Arnold and Ella Keegan. Izzy Marcano and Payton Wells. HR — Addison Poole, Dacia Gingerella, Bella Mazzarese (W).
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 3 consecutive homers send Westerly softball past CW in D-1 quarterfinal
Continue reading...
