PORTSMOUTH — “This is a simple game,” minor league manager Joe "Skip" Riggins told his underperforming team in “Bull Durham,” the 1988 baseball film starring Kevin Costner. “You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball.”

It’s the same in girls’ softball, and players from Portsmouth Little League (PLL) have been getting a big boost in learning the fundamentals of the game from players and coaches at Salve Regina University.

Salve recently wrapped up a five-week clinic at the Portsmouth High School gym in which girls as young as 6 took part in throwing, catching and batting drills. Another one will begin Jan. 12, this time at Pennfield School.

It all started over the summer, when Salve hosted a four-day clinic at the university that was attended by some PLL players.

“Jess DePolito, the head coach at Salve, was just phenomenal,” said Stacie Iannuccillo MacDonald, the vice president of Portsmouth Softball. “She had her coaches and some of the team putting on the skills at different stations. I was totally enthralled with everything that she could convey to the kids and the way that they gave back.”

So after the first day of the clinic, she asked Ms. DePolito if there was anything her team could do to help get the Portsmouth players back on track.

“We had just finished states when we were two and done — we were devastated,” explained Ms. MacDonald. “We really wanted to play more games at the state level, but we know what our weaknesses are.”

Ms. DePolito immediately agreed. “More importantly she said, ‘We’d love to be part of your community and get our girls involved because they have community service to do, also.’ The whole thing was just a great fit,” said Ms. MacDonald.

“We’re happy to be involved,” Ms. Polito said during one of the clinics, which are held on Tuesday nights. “We love working with the girls. The (Portsmouth players) seem to be really genuine and appreciative of our time with them, which just makes us want to come back.”

About 25 to 30 Portsmouth players attended the first series of clinics, along with five to six Salve coaches and players.

“The stuff we do with them is stuff our girls do every day — even just basic hitting progression, very small minute details that we go over every day,” said Ms. Polito. “Especially with hitting, players just want to jump right into front toss or hitting live. We don’t do that until we master the basic fundamentals on the tee, and that takes weeks before we do that.”

Todd Lacy, president of Portsmouth Little League, said the Salve players and the local girls have an easy rapport with each other.

“This is one of the best things for Portsmouth Little League,” he said. “Getting Salve involved is just going to make our girls that much better. The coaches are not that much older than they are. It’s not like an old guy talking to them.”

Ms. MacDonald agreed. “To have this level of coaching for our girls … they really respond well to it. The girls just want to please; they try their hardest. The girls just gravitate to them,” she said.

Next clinic on Jan. 12

The next five-week clinic will be held from Jan. 12 to Feb. 9, but this time at the Pennfield School gymnasium on Sandy Point Avenue. It will run from 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

The cost to take part in the clinic is $25. For more information, contact Ms. MacDonald at s.macdonald1@verizon.net or visit eteamz.com/portsmouthlittleleague.

Ms. MacDonald is hoping to win a grant she applied for through Little League International. It would help fund year-round training for the young players.

The Salve team is eager to keep the clinics going.

“We’re going to try to do a few more in the winter. That’s when our season starts up too, so it gets a little hectic for us,” said Ms. Polito. “We’ll definitely do another clinic in the summer. I hope we can keep doing this as long as they have us around.

“My girls love doing this.”