’Bolts plate six unanswered runs in walk-off win over Novans

By Matt Metcalf
Posted 4/28/16

With Cranston East facing a five-run deficit against Woonsocket going into the bottom of the sixth on Monday, many spectators may have believed the game was over, but the ’Bolts weren’t convinced …

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’Bolts plate six unanswered runs in walk-off win over Novans

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With Cranston East facing a five-run deficit against Woonsocket going into the bottom of the sixth on Monday, many spectators may have believed the game was over, but the ’Bolts weren’t convinced of that.

Sparked by home runs from Taylor Sukys and McKenzie Richards and RBI hits from Amber Carnevale and Noelle Bisignano, East rallied for five runs in the sixth to tie the game at 5 and force extra innings.

And, in the eighth inning, Sukys came up big once again. With Kia Antoine on third and Carnevale on second, the Novans elected to intentionally walk Sukys to set up a force at any base. But, with the count at 3-0, Woonsocket pitcher Lundyn Forcier tossed a pitch that leaked over the middle of the plate, and Sukys was ready for it, ripping a single up the middle to score Antoine and clinch a walk-off, 6-5 win.

The comeback victory preserved East’s undefeated record, which now stands at 7-0.

“They gave us all we could handle,” East head coach P.J. Bessette said. “We came out really flat and slow, and they just thought they could show up and win the game. Coach Rice brought them together after [Woonsocket] went up 5-0 and laid into them. He said ‘If you don’t wake up, you’re going to get your first loss of the season.’ They woke up.”

Woonsocket took advantage of East’s lackluster play in the early innings.

With one out in the top of the first, freshman catcher Madison Hereth drew a walk and advanced to third on a double off the right field fence from Brittany Girard.

Hereth and Girard touched home a couple of pitches later, when freshman Holly Letourneau roped a base knock over second baseman Khadijah Antoine’s head to give the Novans an early, 2-0 lead.

East threatened to get on the board in the bottom of the second, but Girard had other ideas.

With Kia Antoine on first, Carnevale drove a pitch deep to the warning track, but Girard sprinted back and made a leaping catch.

After that, East’s bats went silent until the sixth inning.

In the middle innings, East pitcher Kaitlynn Drowne worked in and out of jams, but was able to keep the score where it was.

Drowne struck out Forcier with runners on second and third in the top of the third, before getting Forcier to pop out to second with the bases loaded in the fifth.

Abbie Roderick was finally able to up Woonsocket’s lead in the top of the sixth. With two outs and two on, the freshman blasted a three-run home run to push the lead to 5-0.

However, that blast from Roderick served as a wake-up call for the ’Bolts, who exploded offensively in the bottom of the sixth, and the rally all started with Richards.

With one out and nothing going right for East, Richards gave her team some life with a solo home run that just cleared the fence in center field.

“McKenzie with her leadership on the field, gets us going with that home run, that’s what I lean on her for,” Bessette said.

From there, hitting was contagious for the ’Bolts.

On a Carnevale single, Kia Antoine came around to score when the throw to the infield was mishandled, trimming Woonsocket’s lead to three, 5-2.

That set the stage for a towering two-run blast from Sukys, crushing a pitch over the shed in left field at Aqueduct to make it a 5-4 game.

Latarra Harris followed with a single, and Bisignano drove her in with a triple, as her rope to center eluded a leaping Girard to tie the game at 5.

Drowne and Forcier would do their parts in the seventh for their respective teams, sending the game to extra innings.

In the extra innings format, each team starts with the player who made the last out in the previous inning on second base.

Forcier started on second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Katyanna Colburn.

With the go-ahead run standing on third, Christina Lussier laid down a suicide squeeze attempt, but Drowne hopped out of the circle, fielded and flipped to Brittany Rice to get the runner at the plate.

“That play at the plate with Kaitlynn charging and Brittany blocking the plate, you can’t coach that stuff,” Bessette said. “That’s instincts on the kids’ part.”

Drowne would strike out Taylor Webster to end the top of the eighth, marking Drowne’s ninth and final strikeout in the game.

East stepped to the plate looking to secure a walk-off victory in the bottom half of the inning, and it would do just that.

Kia Antoine started on second and moved to third on a passed ball. Carnevale was then hit by a pitch, before stealing second.

Sukys followed by delivering the decisive hit, pushing across the winning run.

Bessette was proud of his club and its ability to plate six unanswered runs. It could’ve easily folded after Roderick’s homer, but chose to bear down and take one at-bat at a time.

“I’m just proud of the girls,” Bessette said. “They could’ve checked out and they didn’t. They battled back, now we’re 7-0, moving on to Classical on Friday.”

East will host a non-league game at Aqueduct Field against Warwick Vets at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, before returning to league action on Friday at Classical at 4:30 p.m.

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