The season just started but the Barrington High School softball team has already faced a handful of challenges. 

The Eagles were missing a few key players during April vacation and are also managing a few players who are injured. In addition, one of Barrington’s top players from last year’s team is not playing this season. That change forced Barrington Coach Sandy Gorham to slide starting centerfielder Ruby Ciummo over to first base. Gorham said Ciummo has picked up the position quickly.

“There’s a natural comfort level there,” he said. 

Barrington, which competes in Division II, battled two Division I teams during vacation week. The Eagles dropped a game to St. Raphael’s Academy, 12-2, and East Providence, 14-4. Gorham said his team played well against the Townies but had one bad inning that cost them dearly. 

“I think we’re a pretty good D-II team. We have just got to focus more on defense,” Gorham said. “I keep telling them, ‘You win championships on defense.’”

On more than one occasion, the Eagles have given extra outs to the opposition, the coach said. 

“You can’t give them five outs in an inning,” Gorham said. 

Moving Ciummo to first base forced Gorham to adjust his outfield lineup. He said the outfield struggled a bit against the Division I competition, but he’s confident they will hit their stride soon. 

One player who has already settled in nicely to the Barrington lineup is freshman catcher Maya Etheridge. 

“She is the real deal,” Gorham said. “She’s probably the top overall player as a freshman. She is really, really good.”

Gorham said Etheridge is an aggressive hitter who makes hard contact. In her first at-bat, on the first pitch she saw, the freshman crushed a double that drove in two runs. Against East Providence, Etheridge slammed a hit that one-hopped the outfield fence. 

“She hits the ball very hard,” Gorham said, adding that she is also solid defensively at the catcher’s position. 

The coach praised sophomore pitcher Kendall Fisher. He said she’s done a great job this season, giving up very few earned runs in her outings. 

The Barrington coach said Ace McCoy has done a nice job at shortstop.

“She’s very quick. She has a strong arm. She does a real nice job,” Gorham said. “She bats first. She could play anywhere. She’s the Swiss Army knife.”

Barrington, which is 1-0 in the division, was scheduled to play against Lincoln on Monday afternoon, West Warwick on Wednesday and Portsmouth on Thursday.