PROVIDENCE — It will be at least Tuesday before the Division III softball winner’s bracket final is decided.
Tiverton and Rogers were suspended due to rain in the bottom of the third inning Sunday night at Rhode Island College. The Tigers held a 6-5 lead on the Vikings and were batting with two outs and nobody on when umpires halted the action.
Lia Doster was at the plate with a full count when the call was finally made to stop playing. Both pitchers were starting to have difficulty gripping the ball and some mud was forming around each base. The fans who remained just prior to 10 p.m. headed quickly for their cars at the premature conclusion.
Morgan DiManno’s run-scoring triple to center and an RBI groundout by Abby Gilfillen helped Tiverton overcome a 5-3 deficit in the third. Sarah Poland grounded an RBI single up the middle in the first and an error plated two runs in the second to help the Tigers erase an early 4-0 hole.
Rogers started quickly in the top of the first, sending all but one of its nine hitters to the plate. Jazelle Ramons whacked a two-run triple to deep right-center to highlight the rally, scoring courtesy runner Catalina Schroder and Charlotte Plowden. Alexandra Brown’s safety squeeze bunt added another run in the second.
Inclement weather forced a 40-minute delay in the opening Division I matchup between La Salle and Chariho but largely held off when the Division II meeting between Lincoln and Johnston was decided. The Rams surged to a 7-3 victory over the Chargers and the Lions walked off with a 3-2 triumph over the Panthers. The Tigers and Vikings started about 90 minutes after the initially scheduled 7 p.m. first pitch.
Tiverton’s seniors have academic commitments that prevented the game from being continued Monday. Exeter-West Greenwich and Middletown are due to play an elimination game, and the winner will now be forced to wait before battling the loser of this clash between the Tigers and Rogers. Interscholastic League officials are likely to confirm a new starting time for Tiverton and the Vikings sometime Monday morning.
Rogers 410 – 5 4 3
Tiverton 123 – 6 5 2
Lila Leys and Nora Gardullo. Lia Doster, Liliana Luis (2) and Abby Gilfillen.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Division III softball winner’s bracket final suspended due to rain
