CUMBERLAND – Cumberland American became the first team eliminated from the state championship tournament when it dropped a 7-3 decision to Barrington in a losers’ bracket contest played on Sunday night at Garvin Field.
Earlier in the day, Cranston West moved into the winners’ bracket final with a 7-1 victory over Warwick Continental.
Barrington will now play Warwick Continental at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening in the losers’ bracket final. Cranston West will host the winner of that game in the championship series beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday night at Gravin Field.
Cumberland American got off to a fast start on Sunday night, scoring twice in the first inning, but the host squad for this state tourney could not match Barrington’s offensive fireworks. Barrington came back with four runs in the second inning and then tacked on three more in the fourth inning to put the game away. Mitchell Jacques’s two-run homer sealed the deal for Barrington.
CALL had winning pitcher Retsyn Ootton on the ropes in the first inning, forcing the righthander to throw 34 of his allotted 85 pitches to get three outs. Jesse Gilbert led off the game for Cumberland with a single and then came around on three wild pitches/passed balls.
After Gilbert scored, No. 3 hitter Pete Travers walked, moved up a base on Conor Fleurant’s single, and came home on Zach Noe’s sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Ootton settled down after that, allowing only a solo homer to Fleurant in the third inning before reaching his pitch limit with two outs in the fourth. Nathan Bannon came on to get the final four outs and the save.
Fleurant also dazzled the large crowd of approximately 250 fans by reaching over the centerfield fence to rob Max Caro of a home run in the fourth inning.
Barrington chased CALL starter Kyle Sutcliffe in the second inning with four base hits – two of the infield variety. Caro and Armani Sepiglia led off the inning with hits. Sutcliffe walked Tyler Thomas to load the bases. Dan O’Brian then dribbled a ball down the third base line for a base hit as Caro scored.
Sutcliffe got the next two outs with some courageous pitching before dealing with Mike Miniati, a pesky lefthanded batter who laced a 2-2 pitch into left field that cleared the bases for a 4-2 Barrington lead.
Two innings later, Barrington scored again. Eli Adams came home when Miniati beat out a nubber in front of the plate. And then Jacques applied the coupe de grace with his two-run homer.
Except for Fleurant’s solo homer, Cumberland American failed to put together a strong scoring threat. Bannon made sure of that with excellent relief work.