Warwick 13’s edge NP/Smithfield, cruise into finals

Matt Metcalf
Posted 7/16/15

The 13-year-old Warwick PAL All-Stars were right where they wanted to be heading into the state final on Wednesday night.

Warwick stood one win away from a regionals berth after a 4-2 win over …

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Warwick 13’s edge NP/Smithfield, cruise into finals

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The 13-year-old Warwick PAL All-Stars were right where they wanted to be heading into the state final on Wednesday night.

Warwick stood one win away from a regionals berth after a 4-2 win over the host team – North Providence/Smithfield – on Monday night in the winners’ bracket final to make it to the championship.

Results from Wednesday night’s game were unavailable at press time, but Warwick would need to be beaten twice by NP/Smithfield. If Warwick were to lose on Wednesday night, a winner-take-all game two will be played tonight at North Providence High School.

Manager Jesse Babcock and his squad were determined to not let it get to that second game, though.

“It’s important to get it over with,” Babcock said when asked how important that first game would be. “You have to win the one you’re in – that’s what the goal is.”

Warwick rolled into the finals as the only unbeaten team remaining in the tournament.

Against NP/Smithfield on Monday night, Warwick got a phenomenal all-around effort, coming through on the mound, in the field and at the dish.

Southpaw Jake White picked up the win on the bump, settling down after allowing a run in the top of the first. White would toss 5 1/3 innings, yielding four hits, four walks and two hit batsmen, while allowing just that one run and fanning four.

Warwick would respond with a run in the bottom of the first and two in the bottom of the second to take a 3-1 lead following two frames of play.

In that first inning, Aaron Rastella came around to score from second when a groundball hit by White to first was misplayed, tying the game at 1.

In the second, shortstop Andrew Merryfield smacked a triple to score Derek Lallo, who led off the inning with a base hit.

Merryfield then came home on an RBI single from Nathan Miller, upping Warwick’s lead to 3-1.

Once Warwick gave White a lead, he stifled NP/Smithfield the rest of the way.

After leaving some pitches up early, he progressively began to work down in the zone as the innings wore on, making it tough on NP/Smithfield’s lineup.

“I definitely saw that,” Babcock said of White getting stronger as the game went on. “I definitely felt comfortable leaving him out there even longer, but with his pitch count being where it was, we decided to switch it up and bring in a righty and give it a little bit of a different look.”

That right-hander would be Miller, who relieved White with one out in the sixth inning.

Miller would then give himself some run support in the bottom half of the sixth, singling home pinch-runner Ethan Laramee for his second RBI hit of the game, making it 4-1.

That run would prove to be crucial, as it gave Warwick a little bit of breathing room when NP/Smithfield put together a rally in the top of the seventh.

With one out in the inning, Miller yielded a walk, followed by back-to-back singles to load the bases.

That prompted Babcock to bring in the hard-throwing Merryfield from shortstop to escape the jam.

Merryfield got the first batter that he faced, Ben Rastelli, to ground out, forcing in Cam Erickson from third to make it 4-2. But Warwick was happy to exchange a run for an out at that juncture.

With runners on second and third, Merryfield would groove three fastballs past Ryan O’Connell to end the threat and the game.

The loss dropped NP/Smithfield down to the losers’ bracket, but it would edge Cranston, 6-5, to set up a rematch with Warwick in the finals.

Following the game, Babcock was proud of his team for the way that it came through on NP/Smithfield’s home field.

“We’re in the right position,” Babcock said. “The boys came through. It was a hard-fought game, when you’re on the home field of the opposition, it can get in your head. But they battled through. It was a real good win for our boys.”

The winner of the state title will earn a bid to regionals, which is set to be played in Vermont.

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