A BANNER SUMMER

Warwick North softball upends reigning champ CNB for state title

Matt Metcalf
Posted 7/21/15

The Warwick North 11/12-year-old softball all-stars set a goal early on to win the state championship, and from there on, anything else would be a bonus.

Warwick North achieved that goal in …

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A BANNER SUMMER

Warwick North softball upends reigning champ CNB for state title

Posted

The Warwick North 11/12-year-old softball all-stars set a goal early on to win the state championship, and from there on, anything else would be a bonus.

Warwick North achieved that goal in dominating fashion on Thursday night at Braga Park in Newport, cruising past the defending champion – Cranston National-Budlong – by a score of 20-3 to capture the state championship.

It’s quite the accomplishment for a program in its first year as a merger after Warwick West Side and Warwick National combined leagues prior to the start of the season.

“It’s our first year as a merger,” Warwick North head coach Kevin Detroia said. “Seven of these girls won the districts and went to the regionals two years ago, so some of these girls are returning as 11/12s. This is a good core group and they fight until the end.”

Warwick North came out of the winners’ bracket as the only undefeated team remaining in the tournament heading into the championship, needing just one win to clinch the state title while CNB had to beat Warwick North twice to repeat as the state champion.

The game would get out of hand late, but in the early innings, it looked as if the fans would be in store for a classic matchup.

After Warwick North was retired in the top of the first, CNB struck first with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning.

An RBI triple off the bat of Lauren Macera broke the ice for the game’s first run, scoring Lexi Lombardi.

Delaney Doidge then singled home Macera to make it 2-0 after an inning of play.

“We came out strong,” CNB head coach Harry Garabedian said. “But that’s a solid team over there and they outplayed us and beat us today. There’s nothing you can do about that.”

For Detroia, it wasn’t an ideal start, but his team would come around.

“It was a slow start for us today and it was a slow process, but they moved forward and stepped on the gas pedal, and they just never stopped,” Detroia said. “We just hit all the way around.”

That offensive onslaught began in the second inning.

With one out, Sydni Bigelli drew a walk and pitcher Emily Carter followed with a double, scoring Bigelli and cutting the deficit in half, 2-1.

Shortstop Bryanna Rastella then ripped a triple that scored pinch-runner Mickey Capicotto to tie the game at 2.

From there, Carter found her groove in the circle for Warwick North, shutting down CNB’s lineup in each of the next four innings.

As CNB’s run production stalled, Warwick North took the lead and never looked back.

In the third inning, Warwick North scored three runs to take a 5-2 lead.

Alyssa Richard gave Warwick North the lead when she came home on a passed ball. Bases-loaded walks to Hailey Mackinnon and Rastella then brought home Dyonna Rodas and Bigelli to make it a 5-2 game.

In the fourth, Warwick North put the game well out of reach with a five-spot, pushing its lead out to 10-2.

Capicotto, Kelsey Burr, Sophia Detroia, Maddy D’Amato and Richard all registered RBIs in the inning for the champs.

In the fifth, the two teams would trade runs.

Warwick North’s Destinee Santiago grounded out to second in the top half of the inning to bring home Olivia Murray.

In the bottom of the fifth, CNB responded to make it 11-3 when Sophia Ferry touched home on a groundout to the right side by Emma Petrucci.

In the sixth, Warwick North continued to pour it on, this time scoring nine runs.

Richard drove in Rastella for the inning’s first run with her first of two RBI doubles in the inning.

Richard would reach base in each of her six plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with two walks and three RBIs, while falling a home run shy of the cycle.

Rodas also registered an RBI single in the big inning, and Sierra Ricci delivered a two-RBI double. A pair of errors allowed four more runs to score to make it 20-3.

Carter would close it out in the bottom of the sixth to finish off a complete-game effort.

Now, that opportunity to achieve further accolades is there for Warwick North, earning a berth to the regional tournament with the win.

“We won’t know how the competition will be until we get down there,” Detroia said. “But if the girls play as one, like they did today, I think we have a shot to at least make it to the championship game in Bristol, Conn. If we were to win that and go to Portland, Ore. for the World Series, that would just be the icing on the cake.”

It seems as if Warwick North is certainly capable of making it there. And with the right mentality and a team that has very few weaknesses, anything is possible.

“We just wanted to make it to Bristol with this group,” Detroia said. “Now everything else is extra.”

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