By ALEX SPONSELLER The Cranston East Little League 12 year old All-Star team has been one of the top units in the state to this point of the summer tournament, winning each of its first two games over Silver Lake and Johnston to punch its ticket to the District I semis against crosstown rival Cranston Western.

After missing all of last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 12’s have returned to action and have been one of the surprise teams to this point.

“We always feel that we are a contender for a district title and maybe some more. Those are the expectations. We run a really solid program, and obviously coming back after not playing last year was a challenge, but it has been a good year,” said 12’s manager Mark Paesano.

East has been averaging over 10 points per game while also holding teams to low scores as well. Paesano and his staff have been proud of the way their team has stepped up and feels that it is trending in the right direction at the right time.

“Our the bats have been rolling and we have about a month and a half worth of practice to this point. The kids are determined, the coaches are determined to see how far we can push this thing. Our goal is always Williamsport. This will be one of the biggest challenges that we’ve ever faced, but the kids are riding high.”

Next up for East is Cranston Western, who has been the premier league in the state over the course of the past three decades. Once again, East will enter the match as the underdog, but Paesano has faith in his team and believes that remaining confident will only help looking ahead in the tournament.

“The biggest thing moving forward is just to continue the confidence level that they’re at, to continue the determination, these kids have a lot of heart. They have what it takes and are clicking on all cylinders,” said Paesano. “Obviously Cranston Western is the big dog, but we have confidence in these kids to get the job done. That is what’s going to keep these guys going, believing in themselves. They are really growing into a family.”

The two teams played on Wednesday evening, but the results were not available at press time.