PROVIDENCE — Ponaganset’s march through the loser’s bracket in this Division II softball tournament will extend to the season’s final weekend.
Johnston became the latest upset victim for the Chieftains on this perfect Tuesday night at Rhode Island College. Claire Barrett and Ella McKenney made the key swings at the plate while Mattea Mello handled the work in the circle.
The Panthers suffered a similar fate to Barrington, Kent County and Portsmouth before them. Only top seed Lincoln remains on this unlikely journey after No. 7 Ponaganset rallied past Johnston, 5-2, to book a place in Saturday’s title-round opener.
Barrett raced around the bases for an inside-the-park home run in the top of the second inning, handing the Chieftains a 3-2 lead. McKenney added some insurance in the top of the fifth by lacing a two-run triple to the gap in left-center. Mello retired eight straight hitters on two different occasions and limited the Panthers to just the two runs they scratched out in the bottom of the first.
“This is a big confidence builder for our team,” Mello said. “I feel like we’re going to keep carrying this energy to the weekend.”
Some two-out trouble for Ponaganset in the second allowed the underdogs to grab the lead for good. Haleigh Mooney lined a double to left-center and Elke Pearson drew a four-pitch walk out of the No. 9 spot while turning the batting order to Barrett. She drilled a towering fly to deep right that fell beyond a pair of Johnston outfielders and eventually slid head-first across the plate with a three-run homer.
“Finally coming together,” Barrett said. “Bringing our energy up. Everyone is doing what we need to do to win the games.”
Mello surrendered just a lone walk between the first and sixth innings to hold the lead, and the Chieftains added on in the fifth. Cora Miller and Selah Michael knocked consecutive one-out singles to center and the relay throw to third allowed Michael to move up into scoring position. The Panthers made a nice defensive play to snuff out a potential squeeze bunt but McKenney sent a bullet over shortstop that allowed Ponaganset to capitalize on its chance.
“I got so pumped,” Mello said. “She’s one of my best friends, so seeing her do so well really fired me up.”
Arianna Colon’s walk, Bella Boudreau’s single to center and a throwing error gave the Panthers (16-5) a 1-0 lead in the first. Samaya Imondi’s bouncer to second chased Boudreau in from third and Johnston had some insurance against a team it beat, 2-1, in the winner’s bracket quarterfinals. The Chieftains (13-14) turned things around on their next trip to the plate and Mello finished with 14 strikeouts against two walks.
“I love pitching in games like this with big crowds,” Mello said. “My team was so good. They were supporting me all the way. I fed off their energy.”
Two losses against the Lions were part of a challenging regular season for Ponaganset. Seven opponents from Division I were included on a difficult schedule, and five of them — North Kingstown, East Providence, Prout, St. Raphael, Smithfield — eventually reached the playoffs. The Chieftains persevered long enough to reach a second title round in three years, earning a third meeting with Lincoln at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s honestly amazing,” Barrett said. “This feeling of coming to RIC after being the seven seed and having to work really, really hard to get to where we are right now, it just feels amazing being under the lights.
“Mattea throwing that last pitch and us winning the game — it was honestly the best feeling.”
Ponaganset 030 020 0 — 5 5 1
Johnston 200 000 0 — 2 3 1
Mattea Mello and Mia Duncan. Haley Boudreau and Bella Boudreau. HR — Claire Barrett (P).
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ponaganset softball upsets Johnston, advances to D-II title round