Archive - Sports Article
June 3rd, 2013
PAWTUCKET – One day after Jose Iglesias went deep for his first big-league home run of the 2013 season, PawSox manager Gary DiSarcina was asked to weigh in on the suddenly red-hot Red Sox infielder.
The blast at Yankee Stadium continues a stretch that has seen Iglesias shift from short-term fill-in to possibly serving as a full-time backup. The official answer won’t come until Boston activates third baseman Will Middlebrooks from the disabled list, yet if Iglesias continues to perform at a high level, it’s hard to imagine that the 23-year-old will be back with Pawtucket.
June 2nd
WARWICK – The Division I winners’ bracket contest that took place under sunny yet windy conditions at Winslow Field was your classic Cinderella matchup.
Occupying one dugout was Mount St. Charles, a No. 12 seed responsible for eliminating fourth-seeded Cumberland from the postseason equation. Certainly what the Mounties accomplished qualifies as a shocker, but they weren’t the only underdog to send a heavy favorite packing.
LINCOLN – After watching Bay View’s Shannon McArthur bloop a shot that hugged the left-field foul line, Lincoln High head coach Dick Ryan got up from his dugout perch and asked the home plate umpire to grant him time.
With the infielders and star pitcher Lindsay Mayer gathered around him on the mound, Ryan conveyed the following decree – don’t let the Bengals bring the potential tying run to the plate. If the hitter that was next in line to face Mayer was fortunate enough to blast one out of Sullivan Field, the Lions would remain ahead by one run.
June 1st
NORTH SMITHFIELD — A year away from the road racing circuit and temperatures in the mid-80s couldn’t zap the electricity of the Northmen 5K Challenge on Saturday morning.
Nearly 300 runners and walkers braved the hot weather to take part in the 3.1-mile race at North Smithfield High and the final fundraiser of the school year for the North Smithfield Athletic Association, the boosters club for the town’s scholastic and community athletic programs.
May 31st
PAWTUCKET – Fresh off a 5-3 road trip that saw them take over first place in the North Division, the Pawtucket Red Sox kept the good times rolling Friday night.
It may have taken some time, yet Pawtucket was able to outlast Syracuse courtesy of a 9-8 contest that took 12 innings and lasted four hours, 20 minutes. The hero was Jonathan Diaz, who blooped a ball into shallow right-center to score Justin Henry with one down in the 12th.
Diaz’ third base hit of the game went in the books as a double. Ryan Rowland-Smith picked up his third victory after tossing a scoreless top-of-the 12th.
For a change of pace, the R.I. high school baseball playoffs are neither rushed nor condensed.
The 16-team field in Division I and II takes center stage Saturday, with the first game of the double-elimination regional qualifying round. In years past, a loss on Day 1 placed players and coaches squarely behind the eight ball. Teams were forced to start their battle for survival in the losers’ bracket the very next day, a predicament that wreaked havoc with pitching plans and left no opportunity for coaches to address any other issues.
PAWTUCKET – As his stay in the major leagues expanded from days to weeks to months, Alex Wilson resisted the temptation to feel comfortable.
May 30th
CUMBERLAND — Next year is supposed to be the season Mount St. Charles storms through the first round of the Division I playoffs and gets ready to make some noise in the double-elimination portion of the state tournament.
But somebody forgot to fax that memo to this year’s Mounties.
Armed by a 15-hit attack, solid defense, and a rare complete game from junior Kylie Finnerty, the 13th-seeded, senior-less Mounties sprung arguably the upset of the postseason on Thursday afternoon with a stunning 7-2 triumph over fourth-seeded Cumberland at Tucker Field.
LINCOLN – The more things change for the Lincoln High softball team, the more they stay the same.
Gone are the days when head coach Dick Ryan can sit back and watch his squad pile up the runs and achieve mercy-rule status in the blink of an eye. This year’s Lincoln edition is conditioned to win low-scoring, fist-clenching affairs that largely hinge on the effectiveness of Lindsay Mayer and her powerful right arm.
May 29th
CRANSTON – Jonathan Wahl left Cranston Country Club with a deeper appreciation of what it means to truly contend to win golf tournaments.
All the Lincoln High junior had to do was look over at what his playing partner – Portsmouth’s Jake Bauer – was doing over the final three holes, then refer back to his own scores. While Bauer closed strong with consecutive birdies on Nos. 16-17 and a par on 18, Wahl went par, par, bogey.
