North Smithfield Sting wins softball tourney

NORTH SMITHFIELD - The program started strictly to keep girls playing softball for a longer period of time.

But something happened along the way for the North Smithfield Sting girls U-12 softball team. They started believing in themselves, improved dramatically and capped their recent effort by winning the Mount Pleasant Fast Pitch Softball League championship in Providence.

"We started the North Smithfield Sting this year to keep the girls from our town playing softball," said manager Fran Clark. "We're trying very hard to get North Smithfield on the map in the softball world, and it's been really going well. If you want to compete with the towns that are real softball powerhouses, just playing rec and having a school season isn't going to do it. We definitely have athletes in North Smithfield; we just needed to step it up a notch and keep playing spring, summer and fall.

Clark said most of his team is young, but despite that, the Sting came away with the title.

Early in the season, the team had an up-and-down season, playing well at times, and terrible at others, said Clark. The team worked on its mistakes and continued to improve.

"Even when we had a really bad weekend and got beat via the mercy rule twice, every team member was at the next scheduled practice," said Clark. "That's the amazing thing with this group, they really want to learn and aren't afraid to work."

Once the playoffs began, North Smithfield began to play its best softball of the season. In the semi-finals against a good Mount Pleasant team, the Sting was ready and plated three runs in the first inning, five in the third and two more in the fifth to score a mercy rule 10-0 win. Pitcher Missy Cianci was outstanding, whiffing six in five innings and allowing only two hits.

That sent Sting to the finals against North Providence, a team that destroyed Sting only two weeks earlier, 12-4.

Cianci was back on the mound and she struck out the first three batters for North Providence. North Providence plated a run in the second inning to take the lead.

In the bottom of the inning, Emily Larson started the Sting off with a base hit and promptly stole second and third. Cianci drew a walk and blazed toward second without stopping. An errant throw allowed Lawson to score and the game was tied.

North Providence tallied once more in the fourth to take a penny lead, but Sting responded in their half of the frame. A single, walk and several stolen bases resulted in a pair of runs and Sting was on top, 3-2.

In the sixth, North Providence scored three more and was threatening for more when Cianci buckled down and struck out the next three hitters, but Sting trailed, 5-3.

In the bottom of the frame, a pair of singles and a walk, sandwiched around an out, gave North Smithfield the bases loaded. Then Casey Aridano smacked the biggest hit of the season, a long line drive to left that split the fielders, and before everyone stopped running, three runs had scored and Sting had taken the lead going into the final inning.

North Providence would not go away quietly. Each batter hit the ball hard, but the first two roped shots at Cianci, who made the plays at first. A single put a runner on and the next batter hit a hard shot to shortstop that Shenelle Reilly fielded and gunned to first to nip the runner for the final out and the championship.

"We really proud of this accomplishment," said Clark, who also coaches the middle school softball team. "These girls came a real long way."