Burrillville’s Amanda Nanni slides in safely at home plate during the fifth inning as Cranston East catcher Jamielle Silvia snares a late throw in yesterday’s Division-II North softball game. Click here to see a gallery of game photos.

The Providence Journal / Ruben W. Perez

CRANSTON — When the Cranston East softball team lost three players — one to injury, one for health reasons and another because of personal issues — all in one game a couple of weeks ago, coach Michael Rachiele said he was more than a little concerned.

Would any of the players, all second-year starting outfielders, return? If not, who would he bring off the bench to replace them, and how would those players handle their new roles? What’s more, how would the team’s chemistry be affected by such an upheaval in the middle of the season?

The Thunderbolts say there was only one way to respond.

“We just felt like we needed to regroup in order to win games or it wasn’t going to happen,” said left fielder and senior tri-captain Tiffany Godbout, who injured her ribs while sliding into home in that game against North Providence, but has since returned to action.

Indeed, Cranston East has rebounded well, staging an 11-8 come-from-behind win over Burrillville in yesterday’s Division II-North contest at Brayton Avenue Field.

“I’m really proud of the kids,” said Rachiele, whose club is looking to earn its first playoff appearance since switching its program to fast-pitch five years ago. “At East, it’s like a work in progress all the time. We’re learning and teaching as we go along, and the kids are really responding very well. . . . We’re learning how to win, and we’re doing a pretty good job. We’re going to have our ups and downs, but right now we’ve had more ups than downs lately. And I think the kids are kind of catching on to that.”

Cranston East secured its third straight win thanks to an offensive explosion that Rachiele described as “probably one of our best innings of the year.”

Trailing by 2-1 going into the bottom of the fifth, the ’Bolts rallied for nine runs, capitalizing on an error, a wild pitch and nine hits, including two-run singles by sophomore Paige Clarkin (2-for-3) and first-year senior Jamie Silvia (2-for-3). Godbout, fellow senior Brittany Pelosi and junior Ashley Cooney each added an RBI single, with Cooney and sophomore Ashley McAuley (3-for-4) each contributing two hits to the rally. McAuley’s first hit was a bunt single, which was followed by another by freshman Jesse Handler.

“I think Burrillville’s pitcher is one of the best pitchers in the league, and to her credit she pitched a very good game,” Rachiele said of the Broncos’ hard-throwing senior, Kara Willis. “I think probably by the third time around, we just caught on a little bit. One of the things we’ve been stressing is small ball, and we’ve actually been bunting very well, and I think it’s been working.”

The Broncos — who got two hits apiece from Sarah and Samantha Williams, Jennifer Kent, Kristina Gingell and Taylor Maurath — staged a rally of their own in the sixth, collecting six runs on two Cranston East miscues and five hits, including a run-scoring double to right by Kaitlyn Tedeschi.

But that’s as close they got as Dara Patton retired three of the four batters she faced in the seventh to clinch the victory.

“I was happy for Dara because she’s been on the losing end of two one-run games,” Rachiele said of the junior. “She’s learning to get her changeup in there, and I think she’s starting to mix up her pitches, which is going to help her become a better pitcher. And I was glad to see her find the inner strength and bear down in the last inning.”

Burrillville

100  016  0 —  8  11  2

Cranston East

000  191  x — 11  12  5

 Kara Willis and Kristina Gingell; Dara Patton and Jamie Silvia.

cthorn@projo.com