By ERIC BENEVIDES

Sports writer

CUMBERLAND --- For a team that struggled to score runs all season long, St. Raphael Academy couldn’t have picked a better time to break out.
Catcher Kyllie Magill’s grand slam home run in the top of the fourth inning was the highlight of the afternoon for the 11th-seeded Saints, who only collected five hits as a team, but took full advantage of six errors by sixth-seeded Cumberland High and escaped Tucker Field with a stunning 9-2 victory on Thursday in their single-elimination playoff opener of the Division I state tournament.

The Saints, who needed to win four of their last five games to earn a playoff berth and reach the .500 mark (8-8), now advance to the double-elimination portion of the tourney and will take a long bus drive down Route 95 to contest third-seeded Westerly High at Cimalore Field.
The Bulldogs, who were one of four teams to receive a single-elimination bye, were 12-4 during the regular season and blanked the Saints, 4-0, in their lone regular-season meeting on May 20 at Cimalore Field. The Bulldogs, like the Saints, are heading into the postseason with wins in four of their last five games, but have also allowed just one run in their last four.
“This is the time (of the season) to peak,” said SRA coach Mo Jackson. “In our last three or four games, we’ve been playing some really good ball. We’ve had some ups and downs, but we played well last week against Chariho and Westerly, and today, we played a really great game against a very good team.”
While the Saints were overjoyed with their victory, the Clippers were devastated with the defeat, and for good reason. They had surrendered just 34 runs (the fourth fewest in the division) en route to producing a 10-6 regular-season record and they hadn’t allowed more than five runs in a game all season long.
The Clippers also boasted one of the top defensive teams in the state, but on this cruel afternoon, they committed a half dozen miscues that resulted in eight unearned runs and wasted a superb performance from senior ace pitcher Jenna George, whose five-hitter included 10 strikeouts (and the side in order in the sixth) and just one walk.
“You’re not going to win games with six errors,” said Cumberland coach Marty Crowley, whose crew posted a 3-1 victory over the Saints in their May 6 regular-season meeting at the Hank Soar Complex. “We practiced hard all week and we just gave one away. That’s the bottom line. We misplayed balls, we threw balls away, and we didn’t think, we didn’t play smart softball. Give St. Ray’s credit. They put the ball in play and made things happen. We just couldn’t do some stuff.”
The Clippers also couldn’t do much with the pitching of Saints senior ace Danielle Lotti, who also finished her fine day with a five-hitter that included just one free pass. Lotti only struck out two batters, but received a helping hand from her infield, which recorded 16 groundball outs.
“Her and Kyllie were clicking on all eight cylinders,” said Jackson. “Kyllie was calling pitches and they had (Cumberland) offbalanced at the plate. We also played really well defensively, and I’ve said it all season long, but I think I have the best, if not, one of the best infields in the state. Cumberland’s a good hitting team, but today was our day.”
It was definitely the Saints’ day as far as scoring runs was concerned. The Saints scored just 41 runs in their 16 regular-season games (the third fewest in the division and lowest among all 12 playoff teams) and produced as many as five in a game just three times.   
The Saints jumped on the Clippers right away by scoring twice in their opening swings. Magill led off the game with a walk, and after she stole second base, Emily Wilcox blooped a single into shallow left field. Magill hustled to third on the hit, and when Wilcox tried to take an extra base, the throw to second went into the outfield and allowed Magill to score with ease. Wilcox also advanced to third and soon scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Jen Tartaglia.
The Clippers got back a run in their half of the inning, when with one out, Casey McDonald reached on an infield error, Marissa Speroni got hit by a pitch, and Bethany Paul lined a double down the left-field line to plate McDonald and send Speroni to third. But Lotti left both runners in scoring position by retiring the next two batters she faced on a soft infield popout and a groundout.
George and Lotti exchanged zeroes through the next couple of innings, but in the fourth, the Saints grabbed the momentum by exploding for five runs, four coming on Magill’s blast.
Back-to-back throwing errors kicked off the rally and put runners at the corners for Lotti, who grounded a single to right (and past the dive of Speroni at second base) to drive in Tartaglia.
George came back to strike out the next two batters, but then she hit No. 9 batter Marissa Mancini with an 0-1 pitch in the leg to load the bases for Magill.
George fired a fastball past Magill for the first strike, but the UMass-bound Saint turned on George’s next pitch and lined a shot to deep center field and well over the head of McDonald in center field to clear the bases and give the visitors a 7-1 command.
The Saints tallied their other two runs in the fifth when Wilcox led off by reaching on an infield throwing error and came around to score on a base hit up the middle by Tartaglia, who a couple of batters later, raced home on another infield miscue.
The Clippers’ other run came in the sixth when Speroni got things going by again getting hit by a pitch, Paul singled to left, and George drove in Speroni with a ground single up the middle. The Clippers soon loaded the bases with one out, but Lotti wiggled off the hook by striking out the following batter she faced and getting the next one to tap back to the mound.
While the Saints earn the right to add at least two games to their schedule, the Clippers head into their offseason graduating one of their top senior classes in recent memory. In addition to George, the Clippers lose four talented captains (Rachel Baxter, Katie Beauregard, Kara Solebello, and Speroni) who have been steady contributors for at least three seasons.    
“I feel bad for our seniors because they deserve a better fate than this,” said Crowley.
***
St. Raphael 200    520 0--9-5-1
Cumberland 100    001 0--2-5-6
Danielle Lotti and Kyllie Magill; Jenna George and Kara Solebello. 2B -- Bethany Paul (C). HR -- Kyllie Magill (SRA).

SMITFIELD --- Smithfield High amassed 15 hits and received a solid three-hit performance from Cassie Acciaioli on Thursday afternoon as the Sentinels crushed Mount Hope High, 17-0, in their single-elimination playoff opener of the Division II state tournament at the Sentinels’ field.
The victory was the sixth straight for the Sentinels (13-6), who advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament and will hit the road to take on Middletown High this afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
The Sentinels, who broke open a tight game by scoring 10 times in the bottom of the second inning, received three hits and three runs scored each from Reanna Votta, Avery Palardy, and Ashlee Martin. Palardy also added a two-run triple and finished with four RBIs, Martin doubled and tripled and had three RBIs, and Briana Moretti added a bases-clearing triple and three runs scored to the attack. 
***
Mount Hope 000       00--0-3-6
Smithfield 4(10)3   0x--17-15-1
WP -- Cassie Acciaioli. LP -- Marissa Barboza.