AMICA INSURANCE RHODE ISLAND INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

DIVISION I FINAL: Cumberland vs. Coventry, 4 p.m., Saturday at the Dayna A. Bazar Softball Complex, Rhode Island College (If Cumberland wins, the teams will play an “if game,” Sunday at RIC, TBA.)

ABOUT CUMBERLAND: The Clippers finished tied for third with Lincoln at 11-5 during the regular season, earning the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Opening the playoffs with a 7-1 win over Lincoln, Cumberland dropped a 4-3 decision to North Kingstown, but battled its way through the losers’ bracket and into the title game with wins over La Salle (2-1), Bay View (2-0) and North Kingstown (5-0).

Sophomore Bethany Paul and senior Lyndsey Martins have split the duties on the mound for the Clippers. They have also been leading Cumberland at the plate, along with senior Casey McDonald and sophomores Kristen Peffer and Christina Speroni.

ABOUT COVENTRY: The Oakers finished tied for fourth with Cranston West at 10-6 during the regular season, earning the No. 6 seed. They remain undefeated in the double-elimination tournament, posting victories over Toll Gate (3-0), La Salle, Bay View (8-2) and North Kingstown (12-2).

Coventry also has the benefit of two talented pitchers in junior Elise Fortier and sophomore Sarah Koerner. Fortier has also been contributing to her team’s offensive attack, which has been particularly impressive during the playoffs, along with senior Alycia Broccoli and juniors Ashley Olson and Katelyn Carroll.

HEAD TO HEAD: In their one regular-season meeting on May 9, Coventry overcame a 4-0 deficit to defeat Cumberland, 5-4.

THE SKINNY: Don’t yawn when you hear that this final features the No. 4 and No. 6 seeds in the tournament. As anyone who followed the high school softball scene this spring will attest, the parity in Division I essentially rendered records and rankings meaningless this season, and fans should, indeed, be in for an exciting matchup when Cumberland and Coventry meet Saturday at RIC.

 Don’t plan on ducking out early either, says Coventry coach Chris Daigneault, who predicts the game will come down to the wire, just as many of the contests have in this week’s tourney.

“I’d love to say that we’re going to go out and hit like we’ve been hitting, but I really think it’ll be a nice tight game,” he said. “I really do think it’ll come down to the sixth, seventh, eighth inning – somewhere around there. Who knows? Whatever break somebody gets will be the difference.”

 Cumberland coach Marty Crowley agrees.

“It’s going to be tough,” he said. “They can hit 1 through 9. They’ve got good defense. They’ve got good pitching. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We can’t worry about playing two games. We’ve just got to worry about (today). I like the fact that we’re playing with confidence. We beat good teams to get here. Coventry’s another great team, and hopefully we come to play (Saturday).”

DIVISION II FINAL: Moses Brown vs. Barrington, 2 p.m., Saturday, at the Dayna A. Bazar Softball Complex, Rhode Island College. (If Barrington wins, the teams will play an “if-game,” Sunday at RIC, TBA.)

ABOUT MOSES BROWN: The Quakers successfully defended their II-North title with a 16-2 record, earning the top seed out of their division. After receiving a first-round bye, Moses Brown went on to post shutouts against Cranston East (4-0) and Barrington (5-0), then advanced to the finals with a 2-1 win over II-South champion Middletown.

The Quakers, who captured their program’s first state title last spring, once again have the formidable Liz Kacz on the mound. They have worked hard since then to provide the hard-throwing right-hander with more offensive support and now boast five players who are hitting better than .400 in Kacz, senior Katie Sullivan, sisters Jillian (sophomore) and Kaitlin (freshman) Gately, and sophomore Julia Martin.

ABOUT BARRINGTON: The Eagles finished second to Middletown in II-South with a 15-3 record. Earning the second seed out of its division, along with a first-round bye, Barrington defeated Johnston, 4-0, then dropped into the losers’ bracket after suffering a 5-0 setback to Moses Brown. The Eagles kept their title hopes alive, though, with victories over West Warwick, Prout and then Middletown.

Also on the mound when Barrington appeared in the 2007 Division II final –– when the Eagles defeated Moses Brown, 4-0 –– Jamie Hallam has been the model of consistency. The senior has also been providing strong leadership with fellow senior Sarah Whitten. In addition, the co-captains have contributed timely hitting throughout the season, leading Barrington at the plate along with sophomore first baseman Meredith O’Connell.

HEAD TO HEAD: Moses Brown and Barrington have already met once in the playoffs. The Quakers prevailed, 5-0, last Sunday as Liz Kacz tossed a two-hitter, striking out 10, and helped her own cause with a solo home run.

MOSES BROWN COACH YOLANDA WILCOX GONZALEZ ON THE MATCHUP: “I think it’s been phenomenal to see this season, the level of play, and the commitment the kids have made. . . . . (Barrington has) excellent pitching and a great, well-disciplined team. It just so happened that the first game, everything went our way, which was nice. I think it’s a good matchup. . . . . Right now the message to my girls is Barrington is a great team and we have to play every inning and every out and every at-bat. We have to really be on our toes for them.”

BARRINGTON COACH HOLLY MORRIS ON THE MATCHUP: “Obviously Kacz is their weapon. They’re a great team. We’re just going to have to do the best we can … on defense, and we’ll try to push some runs across. I don’t think our score last time around was a reflection of what we can put up against them. I think that we beat ourselves during certain points in that game. They obviously outhit us and outplayed us, but at the same time, I think we were just a little flat. It was our first time out here. Not to make excuses, but I think we can play better. It’s been nice to see our level of play the last two games. To continue getting better at this point in the season is good.”