Experienced Portsmouth softball team tops Barrington. Here's how.

PORTSMOUTH — Wednesday afternoon offered a lesson for a young Barrington softball team.

Matching up with veterans means needing to be sharp from the outset. Portsmouth jumped on the Eagles in the bottom of the first inning and just about put this Division II contest away.

The Patriots used three errors and a three-run triple by Kylie Toner to build what turned out to be a decisive lead. Mia Ruggieri handled the rest in the circle as Portsmouth eased to a 6-2 home victory under sunny skies on April 8.

“No one really sees them coming,” Ruggieri said. “But they are a really good hitting team. It was really important for us to get out early and take advantage of the opportunities we had.”

Portsmouth's Mia Ruggieri pitches to Barrington in Wednesday game. The Patriots won, 6-2.

The Eagles recorded two quick outs before finding serious trouble in the first. Barbara Rainey’s infield single, two errors and a fielder’s choice that didn’t record an out loaded the bases for Toner. She slashed a drive to right that found the grass and rolled toward the fence, handing the Patriots a 4-0 cushion.

“I went up there hoping to make contact,” Toner said. “Honestly, I just kind of did it and went from there.”

Portsmouth added another run on an error and turned things over to Ruggieri, who allowed just three singles and a walk through the first four innings. Barrington put together a threat by loading the bases with nobody out in the top of the second but Ruggieri strung together three straight strikeouts to escape. She fanned 11 against two walks while keeping the Patriots in front throughout.

“My mindset is always to try to go one pitch at a time,” Ruggieri said. “Don’t look at the bigger picture. It is what it is.”

Ruggieri helped herself in the bottom of the fourth when an infield out gave Portsmouth a 6-0 lead. The Eagles (2-1) clawed a couple of runs back thanks to Grace Fontaine, who drove one in on a hard infield single in the fifth and drilled a two-out solo homer to left in the seventh. Ruggieri recorded the final out on a fly to right and the Patriots (2-1) banked an early win against a fellow playoff qualifier from last season.

Portsmouth's Kylie Toner hits the ball against Barrington in Wednesday's game.

“I think we all have confidence in her,” Toner said. “She has us and we definitely all have her back behind her. I think that’s what makes us a team — a real team.”

Fontaine was one of five sophomores who started for Barrington in this one and the Eagles also featured four first-year players in their lineup. Senior catcher Maya Etheridge stood out thanks to her experience and a 2-for-3 effort out of the cleanup spot. Barrington lost a 10-inning heartbreaker to Johnston in last year’s postseason opener and was eventually eliminated by East Greenwich.

Pitcher Mia Ruggieiri, center, is congratulated by her teammates after defeating Barrington at Portsmouth High School.

Portsmouth enjoyed a deeper run, winning three straight games in the loser’s bracket before falling to West Warwick. The Patriots knocked out Toll Gate, the Panthers and the Avengers before the Wizards proved too much. Ruggieri and Rainey form an all-senior battery that’s been together since third grade.

“I think all of us are just so close,” Ruggieri said. “We don’t really have that many underclassmen, but even the underclassmen — we've been playing together for so long.”

Barrington  000 010 1 — 2 6 5

Portsmouth  500 100 x — 6 6 1

Audrey Paxton and Maya Etheridge. Mia Ruggieri and Barbara Rainey. HR — Grace Fontaine (B).

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Experienced Portsmouth softball team defeats Barrington on April 8