Chaos Reigns In D1 Baseball As No.1 North Providence Falls to Cumberland
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Chaos has reigned so far in the Division 1 baseball playoffs, as the number 1 team in the state, North Providence, was bounced from the tournament by 8th-seeded Cumberland.
The Clippers, who finished the season 12-9 (10-8 in Division I), lost to North Providence twice in the regular season but exacted sweet revenge on the Cougars in the playoffs.
Cumberland defeated North Providence 6-2 in round one before sending the Cougars home yesterday afternoon with a 3-2 victory.
Senior leftfielder Christian Spader came through with the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh to send the Clippers to the Final Four. Spader led Cumberland with a .380 average during the regular season.
“We were in the same position two years ago and lost to North Providence, and our seniors were bound and determined that it wasn’t going to happen again,” said head coach Paul Murphy.
Cumberland has been led by senior pitcher Justin Patrick, who has pitched 17 playoff innings and has yet to give up an earned run. Patrick posted a 1.81 ERA in the regular season.
Dylan Boisclair has also been terrific for the Clippers, shutting down North Providence in Cumberland's first win over the Cougars.
Coventry Advances to Final Four
11th-seeded Coventry advanced to the Final Four with a win over 14th-seed Chariho, 8-0, in the quarterfinals last night.
The senior-laden Oakers defeated Chariho by a combined score of 18-0 in two tournament games, and ended the Chargers’ Cinderella run. Chariho had stunned No. 3 North Kingstown (16-9, 15-5), defeating the Skippers twice and knocking them out of the playoffs.
“We’ve just got a lot of good baseball players,” said head coach Leo Bush. “And all nine guys have stepped up for us in the playoffs. We’ve had a different hero every game.”
Senior pitchers Matt Laferriere and Cote Nichols have been excellent for Coventry, allowing just one run in three playoff games.
15th-seeded East Greenwich also made an impressive run, knocking off No. 10 Cranston West and No. 7 Portsmouth before losing to No. 2 Bishop Hendricken on Tuesday.
Hendricken Back in Final Four
The Hawks advanced to the Final Four with a 4-1 win over the Avengers.
12-seed Pilgrim High School ended No. 5 La Salle’s season, and then defeated No. 4 South Kingstown in the first game of the quarterfinal semi-series to force a deciding game this afternoon at 4 p.m.
The Patriots (14-14, 11-11) rallied from three runs down with their season on the line in the top of the seventh in the first game against South Kingstown, then escaped a two-on, two-out jam in the bottom of the inning to preserve the win.
Pilgrim now needs just one win over South Kingstown to reach the Final Four.
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