After a four-day layoff, the Warwick Continental 12-year-old all-stars battled Exeter/West Greenwich and some threatening storm clouds last Thursday in the winners’ bracket semifinals of the District 3 tournament.

They proved that Exeter/West Greenwich had more to worry about than just the impending storm.

Coming off a 3-0 win over West Side, Continental topped EWG 3-1 for a berth in Monday’s winners’ bracket final against Warwick National.

Continental turned to Tyler Davey Thursday night to continue the team’s winning ways. Davey proved worthy of the start, needing only 65 pitches to complete the game. He allowed just a single run while striking out six and scattering seven hits. The support behind Davey was about as smooth as he was on the mound. The defense made play after play, picking up their teammate every time he needed it.

“I thought Davey did a great job,” Continental manager Al Mann said. “I thought he only got hit when he was in the middle of the plate, He’s a great pitcher but if you leave pitches over the plate, that’s when he was getting hit. When he moved his pitches to the outside corners he was great. The kid’s got all three pitches: changeup, curveball, fastball and he had them all working tonight.”

Not to be lost in Davey’s gem was the fact that he was locked in a pitcher’s duel with EWG’s Tony Greenhalgh, who allowed just three hits in his four innings of work. Greenhalgh got out of a jam a number of times to keep his team within striking distance.

After Davey retired EWG on just nine pitches in the top of the first inning, it was Continental’s turn to try. Shortstop Ryan Rotondo led off the inning with a solid single to left center. After a flyout to center, catcher Joe Degiulio worked a walk. Greenhalgh hit cleanup hitter Tyler Ekroth with a pitch to load the bases for game two’s pitching hero, James Meizoso. After a lengthy at bat, Meizoso took a 3-2 pitch low and inside to work the walk and drive in the first Continental run. Greenhalgh rebounded to retire the next two hitters and salvage the inning, keeping it a 1-0 game.

In the second inning, it took Davey just eight pitches to retire the side and he quickly got his teammates to bat trying to pounce on an already weary Greenhalgh. With one out in the inning, Davey helped himself when ripped a ground ball down the third base line off the glove of the EWG third baseman Austin Coker and into left field. Pinch-runner Jack Sullivan advanced to second on a wild pitch, and Rotondo made him pay by whacking a single to left, driving in Continental’s second run on his second hit of the day. Rotondo picked up another hit later in the game, giving him three for the game. He has a total of six hits in his past two games, which earned him some praise from his coach.

“Ryan had three hits tonight, and he had three hits against West Side the other night,” Mann said. “Right now he is the only player hitting, but I know my players will come around and follow Ryan’s lead. You should see how hard we work at practice; eventually the hitting has to pick up. We need to pick up our pitchers, who are doing a phenomenal job.”

In the top of the third, EWG made its first push. After two quick outs for Davey, lead-off hitter Jack Livsey smashed a double to left center, which was quickly followed on the very next pitch by an RBI single from Greenhalgh. Davey settled down to get a forced out at second to end the inning, but Exeter/West Greenwich had finally broken through and made it a 2-1 game.

The score remained unchanged until the bottom half of the fourth. With one out and a runner on second, Rotondo came through again with a double down the left-field line, giving Continental some breathing room at 3-1.

Things got a little crazy in the fifth inning – for both sides. With one out in the top of the fifth, pinch-hitter Anthony Ventura served a ball into right field off Davey for a single. Ventura moved to second on a passed ball, and on the very next pitch Livsey lined a single to center. Ventura rounded third hard and was given the green light to score from his third base coach. But Continental center fielder David Cusack came up firing and threw out Ventura at home plate.

That play proved game-saving for Continental as the very next hitter, Greenhalgh, singled to left, pushing Livsey to second. After a wild pitch pushed them to second and third, Davey uncorked a curve ball into the dirt that skipped past catcher Degiulio. Livsey broke for home and looked like he was going to make it without a problem. Degiulio turned and fired the ball to the covering Davey who dropped the tag on an already sliding Livsey, who was called out. He had started his slide short of home and never touched the plate.

“Our defense has been spectacular all tournament.” Mann said. “David [Cusack] I added into the lineup late because the kid has been working so hard in practice each and every day. We have four really good outfielders. It’s hard trying to find playing time for all, but David rewarded us tonight with his play.”

In the bottom of the fifth, there was another bizarre play. With Meizoso on third and two outs, he tried to score on a wild pitch. It looked like Meizoso slid perfectly under the tag of catcher Justin Kennedy, but he was called out.

“He was safe,” Mann said. “ I know that inning there were a few close plays at home. But our kid was safe.”

Still, Continental had its lead, and Davey made sure it stood up. He took the hill in the sixth and made quick work of the opponent, saving his best inning for his last. Striking out two in the inning on just 12 pitches, he sealed a trip to the winners’ bracket final for he and his teammates.

I’m proud of the way our kids played tonight,” Mann said. “Let’s hope we get a similar effort on Monday night.”