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PROVIDENCE − How unbothered was Sami Sell by a 40-minute rain delay Sunday afternoon?
La Salle’s catcher attacked the first pitch she saw when the Division I softball winner’s bracket final with Chariho resumed, and that swing wound up propelling the Rams to their fourth consecutive state title round.
Sell ripped a three-run homer to left-center to put La Salle in front to stay, and the Chargers were headed for a first defeat of the season. Nikki Pallotta and Elle Kershaw added round-trippers of their own as the Rams pulled away for a 7-3 victory at Rhode Island College.
La Salle faced a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the fourth when the umpiring crew halted the action due to passing showers. The grounds crew went to work immediately after the heavier precipitation passed and Sell dug in with two on and one out. She struck in a flash against Chariho standout Adriana Jeannenot, lashing a drive that cleared the tall green fencing and disappeared into the trees.
“I knew what I was looking for, where my head had to be,” Sell said. “I was just saying, ‘Hip to ball.’ That’s my swing.”
Ella DelPonte bounced an RBI single through the middle and the Chargers dropped their second outfield fly of the inning before the game was stopped. Both teams huddled in their respective dugouts while the rain fell, and the Rams used it as a chance to reset. They cranked up a portable speaker and had a bit of an impromptu dance party to keep loose, something that put Sell’s mind at ease for the key moment.
“I have so much faith in Sami whenever she’s up at the plate or behind the plate catching for me,” La Salle coach Hailey Vigneau said. “I know she’s going to perform well.”
Vigneau stranded a pair of runners with a fly to left and a grounder to third in the top of the sixth, preserving a 4-3 advantage. The Rams rewarded their ace with some additional support, as Pallotta crushed a solo shot over the scoreboard in left and Kershaw drove a two-run blast to right-center. The Chargers managed a one-out single in the seventh but couldn’t manage anything else.
“We can’t look too far into the game – our minds will go elsewhere,” Vigneau said. “We just stay one pitch at a time.”
Riley Myer dropped an RBI single into left and Ella Alves lifted a sacrifice fly to right while handing Chariho (22-1) a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Vigneau limited the damage on a 5-2 out at the plate that snuffed out a safety squeeze and a swinging strikeout with two in scoring position. That escape proved important when La Salle (22-2) put together its breakthrough rally.
“We had people on base,” Sell said. “We had our momentum going. The rain gave us all a chance to come back in the dugout and jell a little bit.”
The Chargers will play the North Kingstown-Prout survivor in an elimination game this week and require three straight victories to claim a first championship. The Rams will need to fall twice after cutting down the team that accounted for their only two defeats this season. La Salle suffered a 3-1 home loss to Chariho and a 10-7 setback on the road, a pair of results that don’t sting as much now.
“We knew how to beat them,” Sell said. “We knew why we hadn’t won before. We were going to go out and we were going to execute.”
Chariho 000 210 0 – 3 8 3
La Salle 000 403 x – 7 9 1
Adriana Jeannenot and Ella Alves. Hailey Vigneau, Gia DeNinno (5), Vigneau (6) and Sami Sell. HR – Sell, Nikki Pallotta, Elle Kershaw (LS).
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: La Salle powers past Chariho, nears fourth straight softball state title
Continue reading...
La Salle’s catcher attacked the first pitch she saw when the Division I softball winner’s bracket final with Chariho resumed, and that swing wound up propelling the Rams to their fourth consecutive state title round.
Sell ripped a three-run homer to left-center to put La Salle in front to stay, and the Chargers were headed for a first defeat of the season. Nikki Pallotta and Elle Kershaw added round-trippers of their own as the Rams pulled away for a 7-3 victory at Rhode Island College.
La Salle faced a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the fourth when the umpiring crew halted the action due to passing showers. The grounds crew went to work immediately after the heavier precipitation passed and Sell dug in with two on and one out. She struck in a flash against Chariho standout Adriana Jeannenot, lashing a drive that cleared the tall green fencing and disappeared into the trees.
“I knew what I was looking for, where my head had to be,” Sell said. “I was just saying, ‘Hip to ball.’ That’s my swing.”
Ella DelPonte bounced an RBI single through the middle and the Chargers dropped their second outfield fly of the inning before the game was stopped. Both teams huddled in their respective dugouts while the rain fell, and the Rams used it as a chance to reset. They cranked up a portable speaker and had a bit of an impromptu dance party to keep loose, something that put Sell’s mind at ease for the key moment.
“I have so much faith in Sami whenever she’s up at the plate or behind the plate catching for me,” La Salle coach Hailey Vigneau said. “I know she’s going to perform well.”
Vigneau stranded a pair of runners with a fly to left and a grounder to third in the top of the sixth, preserving a 4-3 advantage. The Rams rewarded their ace with some additional support, as Pallotta crushed a solo shot over the scoreboard in left and Kershaw drove a two-run blast to right-center. The Chargers managed a one-out single in the seventh but couldn’t manage anything else.
“We can’t look too far into the game – our minds will go elsewhere,” Vigneau said. “We just stay one pitch at a time.”
Riley Myer dropped an RBI single into left and Ella Alves lifted a sacrifice fly to right while handing Chariho (22-1) a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Vigneau limited the damage on a 5-2 out at the plate that snuffed out a safety squeeze and a swinging strikeout with two in scoring position. That escape proved important when La Salle (22-2) put together its breakthrough rally.
“We had people on base,” Sell said. “We had our momentum going. The rain gave us all a chance to come back in the dugout and jell a little bit.”
The Chargers will play the North Kingstown-Prout survivor in an elimination game this week and require three straight victories to claim a first championship. The Rams will need to fall twice after cutting down the team that accounted for their only two defeats this season. La Salle suffered a 3-1 home loss to Chariho and a 10-7 setback on the road, a pair of results that don’t sting as much now.
“We knew how to beat them,” Sell said. “We knew why we hadn’t won before. We were going to go out and we were going to execute.”
Chariho 000 210 0 – 3 8 3
La Salle 000 403 x – 7 9 1
Adriana Jeannenot and Ella Alves. Hailey Vigneau, Gia DeNinno (5), Vigneau (6) and Sami Sell. HR – Sell, Nikki Pallotta, Elle Kershaw (LS).
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: La Salle powers past Chariho, nears fourth straight softball state title
Continue reading...
