The Gallagher Middle School softball team won its second showdown game in as many tries, topping Mount St. Charles Academy, 8-7, last week.

The team will face another key matchup this week when it visits North Cumberland. North's only loss on the season was a one-run defeat at the hands of Gallagher earlier this season and coach Bob Crozier's Cumberland girls can tie Gallagher for the league lead if they win.

"It's a real tough division, and the games against both North Cumberland and Mount were one-run games that could have gone either way," said Gallagher coach Jay Kennedy. "I've already told my girls that this race isn't over. We still have to play both North and Mount, and we have to play at their fields, so it isn't going to be easy."

Coach Mike Hopton's MSC team jumped ahead of Gallagher, 2-0 on the strength of hitting and base running by Emily Hendricks and Allie Shea, Pitcher Olivia Hendricks held Gallagher at bay until the bottom of the fourth, when they strung together several hits and scored six times.

Bryanna Caron triggered the big inning by clubbing a double over the left fielder's head.

"That really seemed to get us going," said Kennedy. "It was our third time around in the batting order and the kids made the adjustments they needed to and started belting the ball."

After the Caron double, Jess Beaton spanked a single, as did Nicole Plante. Ariel Etheridge drew a walk and Kayla Borges rapped a single to knock in a pair. Megan Reall and Alexa Shilko also had run-producing singles as Gallagher opened up the game.

But Mount wasn't through and battled back with two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

"The top of the Mount order, with Emily Hendricks, and Allie Shea, is just unstoppable," said Kennedy. "They hit well and are just so fast, they put pressure on the defense. We had no answer for them."

Emily Hendricks was four-for-four and Allie Shea had three hits. Between them, they scored six of Mount's seven runs.

Both teams suffered defensive lapses in the contest that gave the other more scoring opportunities, said Kennedy.

In other games, everyone held serve as the top teams won every contest. North Cumberland took a pair of mercy rule games, 11-0 over Woonsocket and 16-6 against Burrillville in games where Crozier pulled back his starting unit and still won with ease.

McCourt Middle School of Cumberland had one of its best weeks of the season. Coach Terry Hebert's team swamped Woonsocket, 12-1, and then dispatched North Smithfield, 18-8. In the North Smithfield contest, captain Becky Geddes hit a monster shot out of the park at Blackstone Street field.

"It was incredible," said Hebert. "That's the first time that one of my girls has hit one out in all the years that I've been coaching."

In its other game, Gallagher cranked North Smithfield, 23-0.

Gallagher is in first place at 7-0, followed by North Cumberland, 6-1; Mount, 5-2; McCourt, 4-4; Woonsocket, 2-5; North Smithfield, 1-7; and Burrillville, 0-8.