PROVIDENCE – Tiverton overcame an early deficit, waited out a weather suspension that lasted nearly 44 hours and proceeded to repeat what it’s done so often over these past two Division III softball seasons.
Win.
The Tigers reset and were in command against Rogers in an extended winner’s bracket final that stretched into Tuesday night at Rhode Island College. What started as a four-run lead for the Vikings on Sunday morphed into a 14-9 triumph for Tiverton, with Liliana Luis gaining steam in the circle and Carlie Martin providing the key swing at the plate.
Luis retired eight straight during one particularly sharp stretch, and Martin belted a bases-loaded drive that cleared the center fielder and gave the Tigers four quick runs. That capped a seven-run outburst in the bottom of the third inning, and Tiverton opened a 10-5 cushion that was never really challenged.
“I definitely saw it as a 0-0 game as we were going into today,” Luis said. “I needed to come in with a lot of energy, be prepared and have confidence in myself that I could go in there and dominate as much as I could.”
The Tigers plated three runs and carried a 6-5 lead out of a soggy Sunday night that saw play suspended in the bottom of the third. Lia Doster dug back in with a full count and finished a walk, a baserunner that sparked a quick Tiverton rally. Brooke Sowa singled to left, Sara Poland drew a walk and Martin lashed a drive that wasn’t caught and rolled to the 225-foot marker in straightaway center.
“I went into that at-bat calm and just ready to hit,” Martin said. “That’s the best way to go in.
“When you’re stressed out, you’re more likely to swing at stuff you don’t want. Going in relaxed, you’ll swing and you’ll get good results.”
The two teams traded a pair of runs apiece in the fourth before Luis settled in. Nora Gardullo lined a RBI single to left to make it 10-7 before the Vikings ran dry, going down 1-2-3 in both the fifth and sixth. Only a one-out error opened the door for Rogers to do more damage against Luis in the seventh, and she followed a run-scoring double by Maeve Higgins with a strikeout and a grounder to shortstop.
“At first, it was definitely a rough start,” Luis said. “But as soon as it felt like I got in my groove I started to feel a lot more confident. I knew my team was there to back me up.”
The Vikings (18-3) started quickly in the top of the first late Sunday, sending all but one of their nine hitters to the plate. Jazelle Ramos 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.
Morgan DiManno’s run-scoring triple to center and n RBI groundout by Abby Gilfillen helped the Tigers (21-2) overcome a 5-3 deficit in the third. Poland grounded a 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.
Tiverton now awaits the winner of Wednesday’s loser’s bracket final between Rogers and Exeter-West Greenwich, a 5 p.m. first pitch here. The Tigers will attempt to make it two consecutive titles and can only be denied by two straight defeats. Tiverton will take the next few days to prepare for a scheduled noon first pitch Sunday.
“Sunday was definitely a little stressful with such a close game and all the rain,” Martin said. “I think we were all ready to play. We were all hyped and just ready to get back on the field.”
Rogers 410 200 2 – 9 7 8
Tiverton 127 220 x – 14 13 3
Lila Leys and Nora Gardullo. Lia Doster, Liliana Luis (2) and Abby Gilfillen.
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Tiverton softball beats Rogers in Division III winner’s bracket final