SOUTH KINGSTOWN – The Prout softball program made great strides this season, but some mistakes against Cranston West cost them a chance to go further.
On their home field last Wednesday for the losers’ bracket semifinal, the Crusaders led the Falcons 1-0 for most of the game until a defensive error tied the score in the top of the sixth inning. The game remained tied at 1 until the Falcons scored three unearned runs in the top of the tenth. The final out was made in the bottom half on a diving catch in center field, preventing the tying run from reaching the plate.
Cranston West won 4-1, stealing the trip to play in the loser’s bracket final.
“It is a learning experience. If we had played a solid defensive game, we would have won 1-0 in seven innings and it would have been over. But we made mistakes,” coach Dave Lustberg said. “But we have a good future ahead of us. We’re losing three players, but the rookies are much better now than when they started at the beginning of the year. We look forward to continuing to work with them and help them continue to grow and improve the team.”
Overall, this season was a great success for the Crusaders. They posted a winning record in Division I for the first time in program history and won two playoff games. They also did it with a very different roster than their 2022 D-II title-winning team with only three holdovers.
Last year, Prout was promoted to DI and went just 5-13, facing relegation to D-II if they had another bad season. Instead, the Crusaders solidified their spot and found the core that will lead them for the next three years.
“The freshmen have helped the team incredibly just by completing everything,” said senior captain Molly Green, who made the 2022 team. “They’re actually going to grow with the experience. They carried the load of the equipment. They did a great job. “As they get older, they will get better.”
Prout only had four seniors on this year’s team, compared to 10 freshmen and three sophomores. However, those four helped form a core that put less pressure on most of the younger players.
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