James Meizoso didn’t care where he hit the ball, he just wanted a single.

Meizoso already had a double, triple and home run to his credit and, if that wasn’t enough, was in the midst of pitching a shutout for Warwick Continental’s West Shore Collision in the City Series championship. But when he stepped in for his final at bat Meizoso knew one thing for certain: wherever the ball went, he was stopping at first.

“James started off the game with a two-run home run, he had a double, a triple and was throwing a shutout but when he came up for his last at-bat he told me that he was stopping at first no matter what,” Continental manager Mike Giard said. “And sure enough he hits one out into left field and stops at first. He wanted to hit for the cycle.”

It was crowning achievement for Meizoso, who helped lead Continental past Warwick National’s Coastway Credit Union, 11-0, for the City Series championship.

“Continental had very strong pitching,” National manager Kurt Blanchard said. “They kept our bats at bay. We had several situations where we left runner stranded; we just couldn’t seem to drive them in.”

Continental didn’t have the same problem. After defeating Warwick American, 8-4, in the opening round, the team didn’t waste time jumping on National starter Zach Bremmer on Friday. They scored three runs in the first and continued to pad that lead throughout the game.

National tried to counter with base hits from Danny Reph, Chris Reid and Bremmer, but couldn’t sustain an offensive attack.

“We played a strong defensive game but we left a lot of guys on base,” Blanchard said. “We left the bases loaded twice and left runners in scoring position one or two more times. That hurt us.”

Continental’s run through the City Series was fueled by a handful of players with all-star experience. Three West Shore Collision players were on Continental’s 12-year-old all-star team, three played for the 11s and two played for the 10s.

“We had a good team, a very strong team,” Giard said. “We hit the ball well and we got good pitching. Zach Eldridge pitched very well for us in the first game and then Meizoso threw a shutout on Friday. And they’re both 11-year-olds, which helps us for next year too.”

Coastway Credit Union earned the right to represent Warwick National after taking the regular season title and outlasting New England Pest in a winner-take-all playoff championship game. The team knocked off Warwick West Side in the opening round of the City Series to advance to Friday’s against Continental.

“We were the regular season champs from National and battled back-and-forth in the playoffs,” Blanchard said. “Then we won our first City Series game against West Side, which was exciting. We were very strong defensively, our infield was solid and we made the plays. It was a good run.”

Winning the championship took on an extra meaning for West Shore Collision, which lost the City Series title to a different Warwick National squad last summer. Seven players from this year’s West Shore club were on that team and winning this year’s tournament helped wash away the sting of last year’s defeat.

“Last year our team lost the city championship to Warwick National,” Giard said. “So it was nice to get this one. It’s exciting for the kids, especially for the ones who didn’t compete at the all-star level and it’s always exciting for the league to be able to win the City Series.”