'It was a great ride': Worcester U16 All-Star softball team sees magical run come to end in regional semifinals

WORCESTER — Following a stream of hugs and tears Tuesday afternoon came a few laughs and smiles for the U16 Senior All-Star softball team from Worcester. 

Fresh off a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to visiting Rhode Island, a walk-off version in the semifinals of the Senior League Softball East Regional, the host team from Worcester ran through the entire gambit of emotions before filing out of Rockwood Field with their heads held high. 

“It’s obviously not the way we wanted to lose, but, you know, that’s just how it goes,” said first baseman/pitcher Ava Grant, a rising junior at St. Paul.

Worcester’s Ava Grant rounds first on her way to a double in the sixth inning against Tiverton July 22.

“I mean, it does kind of suck because last year we played in the championship game, so we were hopeful that maybe we could have another run at it,” added Worcester shortstop Ava Courtemanche, who will be a junior at Burncoat this fall. “But we got cut short of that and just it’s a very stressful situation being that close in a game. So, I think we we’re just trying to give it our all in the last inning and keep fighting and obviously (Rhode Island) got the best of us.” 

With a chance to earn a spot in the regional final (to play Connecticut later Tuesday night), with that game’s winner going to the Senior League Softball World Series held in Delaware, the hosts from Worcester felt pretty good early on in their semifinal game against the team from Rhode Island.  

Rising Doherty High junior Riley Cormier got things started Tuesday with a one-out single in the top of the first (Worcester played as the road team despite being the tournament hosts) before Cormier scored on a double by teammate Sienna Lapomardo. An RBI triple from Ava Grant scored Lapomardo to give Worcester an early 2-0 lead. 

Rhode Island, who lost to the Worcester squad on July 19, rallied and tied the game at two apiece in the bottom of the fourth.  

In the bottom of the sixth, though, Grant led off with a double and scored three batters later thanks to a sacrifice fly from Mia Girardi. Courtemanche then flared a fly ball to shortstop that was deep enough to score teammate Braelyn Tucker, who tagged from third base to make it 4-2.  

An inning later, Worcester found itself three outs away from securing a spot in the regional final for a second straight summer. But three straight hits from Rhode Island tied the game at 4-4 before a bloop hit two batters later brought in the winning run from third base and propelled Rhode Island into the finals.  

And sprang some tears from the hosts.  

Worcester’s Ava Courtemanche drives a sacrifice fly ball that scores Clara Lee in the sixth inning against Tiverton July 22.,

“It was a great ride, and they never gave up,” said Worcester U16 All-Star coach Drew Courtemanche, who is Ava’s father. “That last inning was tough. They kind of put balls right where we weren’t and made it difficult on us. Ava Grant’s our best pitcher. She threw great. They put up great at-bats against her. They earned the win. But I can’t fault the way we played the entire weekend or today.” 

“Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t,” added Grant, who came in to pitch in relief for Cormier in the fifth inning. “And yeah, they just had luck on their side today.” 

Worcester’s Clara Lee reaches base on a bunt in the sixth inning July 22.

Before Tuesday’s semifinal, Worcester won its first four games of the regional tournament over New York (12-1), Rhode Island (12-6), Connecticut (14-7) and Pennsylvania (11-0) by a combined run differential of 49 to 14.  

But in its second contest against Rhode Island, the host team finally suffered its first loss.  

“I saw a Tiverton, Rhode Island team that did not give up,” Drew Courtemanche said. “They played like a state champion, and they gave everything they had today and kudos to them.” 

Worcester starter Riley Cormier faces Tiverton July 22.

Still, it was a fun-filled few days for the Worcester team. Between winning four games on the field, hosting a pancake party and participating in karaoke, these are summer memories that will fill them up until next year — when many players hope to team up again on this All-Star softball team.  

“It’s amazing just getting to know girls that we don’t usually play with for school or travel (ball),” Cormier said.  

“It was just fun,” Ava Courtemanche said, “like, reconnecting with everybody and getting to play together again on a big stage like this. Like, this is a huge deal. So, it was really cool.” 

“It’s just a good environment to be in,” Grant concluded, “and, yeah, definitely gonna miss it.” 

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 'It was a great ride': Worcester U16 All-Star softball team sees magical run come to end in regional semifinals