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Community Corner

Baseball: CWLL Wins District One Major Division Title

Shuts out Elmwood, 7-0, behind superb pitching and defense.

Cranston Western is returning to the Rhode Island Little League Major Division All-Stars State Championship playoffs.

A complete game four-hitter by CWLL righthanded pitcher Hayden Parkes anchored a 7-0 victory over Elmwood to clinch the District One title on Saturday afternoon at Michael Varrato Field.

Parkes reached the exact 85-pitch limit on the last play of the game, when second baseman Colin Gershkoff scooped up a one-out grounder, tagged the runner between the bags and threw to first for a game-ending double play.

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Cranston scored all its runs in the first three innings.

Consecutive walks to leadoff batter Steve Piscopiello and then to Steve Salisbury were then accompanied by a two-base error on a ball hit to the outfield by Dillon Bordeleau that was dropped, putting CWLL ahead, 1-0.

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With runners on second and third and no outs, Jeffrey Feliz came in for relief pitching and recorded a swinging strikeout before yielding a two-run single to Gershkoff. But the tall Elmwood hurler then bore down and got the last two outs on a popout and strikeout.

CWLL scored twice more in the third after the first two hitters were retired. Piscopiello walked and Salisbury doubled to center. Bordeleau promptly singled in both his teammates for a 5-0 lead.

The last two runs came in when Sammy Franco reached on an infield hit and Connor Kiernan followed up with a single to right. Parkes helped his own cause by belting a double to center to increase the margin to 7-0.

Elmwood’s bids to score even one run were either halted by pinpoint pitching or by excellent infield defense, resulting in four double plays. On three of the four hits- all singles- Luis DeLeon was erased twice on DP’s as was Feliz on his hit. Two twin-killing plays were started by Parkes who threw to Bordeleau and then fired across to first where first baseman Nick Almonte stretched long and wide to catch the ball and nip the runners.

In the first inning, Luis DeLeon hustled down the line for an infield single and then Stefon DeLeon walked. But Feliz hit a high-bounding, one hopper to Bordeleau who grabbed the ball, stepped on second and seamlessly fired the ball to first for the DP.

It proved to be a great run for Elmwood, which went 4-2 in its playoff run and had to defeat Johnston to get out of the loser’s bracket after losing to them in the second game. Elmwood also beat North Providence East twice and North Providence West.

“Today I had more stamina than when I pitched against Johnston (in 3-1 win) last week,” said Parkes. “I just kept throwing hard just like the coach kept telling me to do. And the defense was great.” 

Feliz ended his fine performance on the mound by allowing four runs, six hits, eight strikeouts and two walks in 5.2 innings.

“The key was their pitcher getting first-ball strikes,” said Luis Deleon, Elmwood manager. “And I thought our infield was great, but they played excellent defense and I think Cranston Western has the best defense in the state now.”

“We didn’t know what to expect, though we thought they would start Feliz,” said CWLl head coach Gary Bucci. “Hayden was great even though he did not have his best velocity. And we had so much support from some former players who came back toi help us and from all our fans and the league, too. All the hard work we put in really paid off.”  

Other players on the District One championship squad include Sean Hart, Mike Rodrigues, Derek Magno, Martin Goldberg and Brett Dolan. The manager is Gary Bucci and assistants are Mike Casali and James Clarke.

In its first game of the Rhode Island Little League All-Stars Major Division Championship playoffs involving four district champions, Cranston Western faces Central Coventry, District Three champs, at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, at the Warwick West Side Little League Field.

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