Patriots End Islanders' Softball Season in State Semis

The Islanders and the Portsmouth High Patriots finished one-two in Division II South at the end of the regular season. The two regular season games between the two were each decided by one run, 1-0 and 12-11. Portsmouth landed in the losers' bracket at the hands of the Islanders on June 6 in a 10-0 blowout. The Islanders were handed their first loss of the playoffs by East Greenwich, who beat Middletown 2-0, putting the Islanders in the losing bracket and sending the two teams on a collision course, with the winner advancing to the state championship, and the loser seeing their 2011 season end.

Monday night's game between the two was the polar opposite of the previous meeting on the June 6. Portsmouth's starting pitcher, No. 6 Kelly Beck, sought to redeem herself from the 10-0 loss she and her team suffered the last time out.

She did more than just redeem herself. She pitched with fire. She pitched with an intensity that was lacking the last game, but was overflowing in this one. Beck's teammates came out swinging right out of the gate, scoring three runs off the usually untouchable Islander starter, Grace Eng. Grace settled down after allowing the three runs and retired the next three Portsmouth batters. It turns out that's all the runs Portsmouth ended up needing.  

The Islanders made solid contact all game against Beck, but none were in the right place, or the right time, to help Middletown out of their early hole. Both pitches settled into a pitching duel after the first. A duel that all but ended in the top of the 6th when Portsmouth busted the game wide open. Highlighted by a 2 RBI stand up double by No. 10 Mary Sweeney, Portsmouth exploded for four runs in the 6th, taking a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the inning.

Middletown made some noise in the 6th, but it resulted in just one run, which brought home Islander Senior Brittany Lewis by way of a fielder's choice.  

Middletown never gave up and never gave in, but could not overcome the deficit created by the hot bats of the Patriots. Kelly Beck, who in each inning stood on the mound, pounded the ball into her glove before facing each Islander. She pounded the ball harder and harder each batter she faced. The unmistakable snapping sound could be heard throughout the Rhode Island College field. She dialed in and wrapped things up in the bottom of the seventh, as the Islanders sent a last chance ball to left field, and No. 12 for Portsmouth, Courtney Parks, saw the ball into her glove and ended the game,  simultaneously ending the Islanders' 2011 season.

Final score was 7-1, Portsmouth over Middletown. With the win, the Portsmouth squad will face No. 1 seed East Greenwich, but will have to defeat the Avengers twice in order to capture the Division II South Title, as EG has not yet lost a game in the 2011 double elimination tournament.

Portsmouth Assistant Coach Karen Byrne said, when speaking about starting pitcher Kelly Beck's remarkable redemption from the last meeting between the two teams: "She is our leader, she was, she was very upset about her last performance. She puts a lot of weight on her shoulders. She turned the last game when they scored 10 and we scored nothing into a positive. She put us on her back. She was determined, she was focused, she did an excellent job in terms of her pitches, the location of her pitches. You know, we just wanted to prove to ourselves, to everyone that you know we were better than the team we were the last time we faced Middletown. It started with our pitcher and our catcher and I just couldn't be prouder of the whole team. They did so great."

Middletown Head Coach Robin Ramey graciously took the time to speak after her teams final game of the 2011 season, to reflect on their year and saying goodbye to several of her players.

"In all honesty, I think we're all better people for playing as a team together," she said. "Would we have loved a state championship? Sure, of course. In the end, they're just quality kids that come out of Middletown and I feel privileged to have coached them. From beginning to end, my kids left it all out there. I couldn't be prouder of them."

On her eight departing seniors, most of whom she has known for more than their four years at Middletown High: "Oh boy, you know I think years from now we're going to be reading about all of them. They're going to be taking leadership roles, and making amazing things happen in the world. I see them doing nothing but wonderful things."

On the Middletown side, there were lots of tears, and hugs. For the eight departing seniors, this is their last ever game in a Middletown sports uniform.  

On the Portsmouth side, there was a lot of cheering, and even more hugs, between the coaches and players and the players themselves. They faced elimination by losing to Middletown earlier in the playoffs, but turned it all around and ending up as the spoilers to Middletown's championship run –  a spoil that sees this victor move on to the Division II State Championship.