La Salle softball sends NK, rest of league a reminder as playoffs near
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PROVIDENCE — The goal for La Salle on this breezy Wednesday afternoon was to keep the Division I softball title race to just two teams.
North Kingstown was looking to elbow its way into the conversation alongside the Rams and unbeaten Chariho, something that didn’t come to pass at McLaughlin Field on May 13.
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Elle Kerhsaw made a key early defensive play and Kayleigh Ventura blew it open with a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth inning. La Salle needed just six frames to post an 11-1 triumph, a second defeat of the year for the Skippers and a reminder of how dangerous the Rams remain entering the postseason.
Senior Day ceremonies about an hour before the first pitch saw the celebration of a four-player class that’s captured three consecutive championships, and La Salle has no intention of simply stepping aside for the Chargers or anyone else. Hailey Vigneau improved her career mark to 63-4 in the circle, a dominant run that includes a perfect 12-0 record when it has mattered most.
“We’ve lost a few games but we know what we need to do,” Kershaw said. “We’re prepared for anything.”
The Rams carried a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth before sealing this one by sending 11 to the plate. Samantha Sell dropped an RBI single into shallow center and Ventura stepped in with the bases loaded and one out. She slashed a drive to right-center that cleared leaping North Kingstown right fielder Amelia Fries and the fence to double the advantage to 9-1.
“I thought it was going to hit the fence,” Ventura said. “[Fries] looked like she was going to catch it. It was really hit or miss.”
Nikki Pallotta added a pair of run-scoring infield singles in her next two at-bats to help La Salle walk it off early. Her inside-the-park, two-run homer down the line in right gave the Rams a 3-0 cushion in the second, a slicing liner that landed just beyond a diving Fries and rolled all the way to the corner. La Salle piled up 14 hits in all, including four from Pallotta and two apiece from Ventura, Sophia Morgan and Erin Moran.
“It gives us a lot of confidence,” Ventura said. “We don’t rely on the first half of the lineup. The second half can come in and do the job just as well.”
The Skippers (16-2) plated their lone run in the top of the third, and it could have been more. Gabby Peralta laced an RBI single off Vigneau’s glove to make it 3-1 and Fries followed with the third hit of the inning, a single to shallow center. Adelyn Barnes raced around third and Kershaw charged quickly, firing a bullet to Sell at the plate for an inning-ending 8-2 putout.
“You just have to be sad for a few minutes [on Senior Day] and then remember we have to play a good team today,” Kershaw said. “You just flip a switch and go.”
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The Rams (16-2) finish with Westerly, Coventry and Pilgrim next week before opening defense of their title. La Salle’s best victories entering this one were played against a strong Massachusetts trio that includes Bishop Feehan, Wachusett and Taunton. The Tigers owned a 65-game winning streak before suffering an 8-2 loss at Brown University in late April.
“We’re really excited,” Ventura said. “Our practices have been really fun. We’re just locked in. We're ready to play.”
North Kingstown 001 000 — 1 5 1
La Salle 121 601 — 11 14 1
Gianna Amedeo, Alexis St. Germain (4) and Rosie Hayward. Hailey Vigneau and Samantha Sell. HR — Nikki Pallotta, Kayleigh Ventura (LS).
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Score of La Salle vs. North Kingstown softball on May 13, 2026