East Providence outlasts Cumberland in Division I softball playoffs

Townies stay alive with losers' bracket win over Clippers

By Mike Rego
Posted 6/3/17

EAST PROVIDENCE — Jordan Farnsworth scored what proved the winning run on an error in the top of the seventh inning as the East Providence High School softball team stayed alive in the 2017 Division …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


East Providence outlasts Cumberland in Division I softball playoffs

Townies stay alive with losers' bracket win over Clippers

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — Jordan Farnsworth scored what proved the winning run on an error in the top of the seventh inning as the East Providence High School softball team stayed alive in the 2017 Division I state championship tournament with a 5-3 victory over Cumberland Saturday afternoon, June 3, in city.

“That was a really good win,” said EPHS head coach Rob Traverse. “I thought that team (Cumberland) had a chance to win the championship at the start of the year so for us to beat them twice this season is a pretty good accomplishment.”

Though the Townies hosted the losers’ bracket contest, the Clippers were the higher seeded team (six) in the double-elimination event and thus the home side on the scoreboard. East Providence beat Cumberland, 7-6, during their regular season meeting two weeks ago,

The Townies led for most of the afternoon Saturday before Cumberland rallied with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to knot the score at three.

Farnsworth, E.P.’s senior second baseman, opened the final frame with a single off Cumberland reliever Brooke Turnbull, but looked to be left stranded after Shelby Mello and Sadie Peterson, who sparked the Townies’ offense earlier, both lined out sharply to center.

Farnsworth, however, next stole second and came around when Alyssa Guarino’s short fly to right was misplayed by three converging Clippers. It dropped and Farnsworth scored to put E.P. on top, 4-3. Katie Atwell followed with a single to put Guarino in position to score, which she would do on Emma DaSilva’s ensuing base hit.

In the bottom of the seventh, East Providence’s sophomore pitcher Taylor Babcock enticed the first two Cumberland batters to ground out to Farnsworth to start the inning. She did allow a single before a fly-out to Madison McDonald in left ended the game and kept the Townies’ season alive for the moment.

“I’m really proud of the way we played today. We battled, especially after they came back and tied it,” Traverse added. “We did catch a break when their centerfielder and rightfielder didn’t communicate and we scored the go-ahead run. But then Emma came right up with a huge hit to give us a bit of a cushion as well.”

The Townies used a pair of two-out singles by Mello and Patterson to plate a run in the top of the first. Mello scored when she slid in safely on a double-steal attempt. The Clippers also used two singles and a stolen base to level the score at one immediately in the bottom of the inning.

E.P., which never trailed, went back in front, 3-1, with a pair of runs in the third. Mello started the inning with a liner off the glove of Cumberland starter Jocelyn Bodington. Peterson, in a near repeat, bounced a grounder off Bodington’s leg to reach. Guarino then drew a walk to load the bases. Atwell lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring Mello home, but Guarino was erased trying to tag at up at second. But with two out, DaSilva ripped a single to bring Peterson home with the third E.P. run.

“Those two have probably been our most consistent hitters at this point in the season. That’s why they’ve gradually crept up in the order. They battle. They don’t strikeout,” Traverse said of Mello and Patterson.

Cumberland did little against Babcock for the next few frames, which included a neat turn of a 6-4-3 double-play by DaSilva, Farnsworth and Atwell in the fourth, before striking for two runs to tie the score at three in bottom of the sixth. The Clippers used two doubles, a single and a sacrifice fly to plate the tallies.

“I just really like watching Taylor Babcock pitch. She’s maturing before our eyes. She did that today against a pretty potent lineup,” said Traverse.

Seventh-seeded E.P., which defeated Lincoln High (5-4) in its playoff opener then lost to second-seeded North Kingstown (3-0), advances to face fifth-seeded Chariho in its next losers’ bracket contest on the road Monday, June 5. The Chargers lost to top-seeded Moses Brown, 10-0, Saturday. The Townies improved to 12-8 in league outings. For Cumberland, its season concluded with a 12-8 record in Division I games.

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.