RICHMOND — Two-strike hits and a pitcher who slams on the gas pedal with the lead makes for quite a combination in any edition of the Division I softball playoffs.
Chariho enjoyed such circumstances on Wednesday afternoon, riding a little extra energy tucked into the back corner of their campus against a traditional league contender. Coventry saw a tie game slip out of reach in the bottom of the fourth inning, the moment when the Chargers made the deciding move.
Brianna DeGiacomo’s two-run single broke it open and Adriana Jeannenot was masterful over her final four frames in the circle. Chariho surged to a 5-1 victory over the Oakers and landed a spot opposite Pilgrim in the winner’s-bracket semifinals.
“These are the great games,” Jeannenot said. “The adrenaline is pumping. Both dugouts are screaming. You’re all in it.”
The Chargers gave their sophomore ace all the cushion she needed with a rally in the fourth. Maddie Dorgan dropped a single into center, Jeannenot grounded a single through the right side and Chariho wound up with two in scoring position for DeGiacomo. The cleanup hitter lived up to the title by sending a sharp two-hopper up the middle, snapping a 1-1 deadlock.
“I knew that we needed to bring up the energy,” DeGiacomo said. “I needed to get a hit. There were two people on base.”
Kesten Hanks drove a sacrifice fly to center to make it a three-run game, the fifth time in the inning the Chargers put the ball in play either with two strikes or behind in the count. Chariho simply refused to bend against Coventry left-hander Sage Soares, repeating the approach that made them 6-0 winners against the Oakers at this venue in the regular season. Jeannenot and DeGiacomo both homered that day and finished a combined 3-for-6 with two runs scored and three RBI in the rematch.
“Let’s just hit it hard — that’s what we tell each other,” Jeannenot said. “Hit it hard and there’s a chance for an error or to get one through. Everything happens after that.”
Jeannenot added an RBI single off the pitcher’s glove facing a full count in the bottom of the fifth, insurance she didn’t wind up needing. The right-hander used a combined 14 pitches to retire all six batters she faced in the fifth and sixth, momentum that carried to the finish. Jeannenot finished with nine strikeouts and allowed just two baserunners after escaping a jam in the top of the third.
“We never say we’re completely comfortable,” DeGiacomo said. “We always pretend like it’s 0-0. Adriana is just bringing it and giving it her all.”
Coventry (12-7) threatened twice early before scratching a single run in the third. Payton Baris doubled to left-center, Emily Spadoni dropped a perfect bunt to the left side for a single and Liliana Bell popped a looper into shallow left for an RBI single. The Oakers missed out on more when a fly to center turned into a double play, with Coventry losing track of the out total on the bases.
The Chargers (15-5) capitalized immediately on that mistake. Ella Alves singled to center and courtesy runner Makayla Smith took over from there. She stole second, took off again for third and came home when the throw sailed high into left field, making it 1-1.
The Oakers entered with wins in four of their last five and will need to string a few together to stay alive in the double-elimination format. They face Smithfield while Chariho remains in the top half of the bracket for a Friday date with the Patriots. The Chargers have won 11 of their last 12 dating back to April 22, but a pair of losses to Pilgrim — 5-3 and 7-4 in nine innings — helped push them down the standings early.
“As long as we keep the same energy we had today, the way we performed, I feel like we’ll do great,” Jeannenot said. “We need to keep the bats alive.”
Coventry 001 000 0 — 1 4 2
Chariho 001 310 x — 5 5 1
Sage Soares and Gabby Fennessey. Adriana Jeannenot and Ella Alves.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Chariho’s big two lift the Chargers over Coventry in their softball quarterfinal