PORTSMOUTH - The Cranston Western Little League softball team had to do two things headed into a possible championship-winning game against Tiverton: Stay calm and do what they had been doing all tournament – and season – long.
Score runs.
Against a team they saw earlier in the Little League Softball Rhode Island State Tournament, Cranston West did just that, scoring in all but one inning and getting a dominant pitching effort from Isabella Marcano in a 12-0 win over Tiverton on Tuesday at Davidson Park.
“We faced [Tiverton] last week in the first game," Cranston Western manager Lalo Marcano said. "And right off the bat, we knew they were the team to beat."
Isabella Marcano was in control from the start. The right-hander gave up one hit in her four innings of work, didn't one walk and struck out nine Tiverton batters while throwing 33 of her 47 pitches or strikes.
The only hit Isabella Marcano allowed was a loud one, as Tiverton's Olivia Megna ripped a two-out double off the left field fence in the bottom of the first inning. She quickly put the hit out of mind and ended the threat with a strikeout, then retired the final nine hitters she faced, including a stretch where she struck out five in a row.
"I could definitely not have done it without my defense,” Isabella Marcano said. “My defense makes me a bit more relaxed, and if I didn’t have them I don’t think I would have done that good.”
With its pitcher in control, Cranston Western offense found success early and continued to repeat it.
Cranston Western scored two in the first inning. Isabella Marcano led the game off with a single and later scored on a single by Ella Lamarre, who came around with the second run after a Tiverton error.
In the second inning, Hailee Stinson led off with a single and, after a stolen base, scored on a single by Alexa Okolowitcz. Later in the inning, Laila Murphy drew a one-out walk, worked her way to third and then scored on a groundout by Adriana Garcia to put Cranston Western up 4-0.
After a scoreless third, Cranston Western piled on four in the fourth. Its first two runs of the innings came when Lawson Bastia scored on a fielder's choice by Stinson, which was followed by a groundout that brought home Olivia Graziano.
Next up was Murphy, who crushed a ball to the outfield and finished with a standup triple before scoring on a single by Garcia. The hit was the first of two for Murphy, who drove in a run in the sixth that made it 10-0, then scoring on an error that brought home the final two runs.
“She hits a lot and she’s a very smart player on the field, so we knew that she was going to deliver today,” Lola Marcano said. “We have 12 players that are really good players, and they can deliver at anytime, so we were confident about their abilities.”
With a comfortable lead, Graziano came thing and shut the door on Tiverton, with Okolowitcz getting the final out on a pickoff play at first.
“We knew that we needed to use our number one pitcher but both pitchers that we carry are number one, "Lola Marcano said. "So either pitcher that we use, we knew that we’re going to get a good outcome."
It showed during the four-team tournament. Cranston Western played well from start to finish, beating Tiverton 7-0 in its opener before beating Cumberland, 11-2, in the winners' bracket final, setting up Tuesday's game.
With a berth to the Little League Softball New England Regional on the line, Cranston Western felt good about its chances, but wasn't quite ready to make plans to head to Bristol, Conn., until the final out was recorded.
“We wanted to be confident," Laila Murphy said, "but not too confident."
Cranston Western will head to Bristol this weekend and open the tournament Sunday at 8 p.m. with a game against the Connecticut state champ.
“I think that we have a very good shot in regionals,” Isabella Marcano said. “I think that as a team, we can definitely do it.”
“Our goal from day one was, ‘Go to Bristol and win at Bristol,’” Lalo Marcano said. “We’re going to be able to compete and we want to try to get the title for Rhode Island.”
