The Cranston Western Little League 11-U and 10-U teams won their state championships last week to earn a spot in the upcoming regional tournaments.

The 11-U club topped Cumberland 4-1 in a rematch of last year’s state championship game. JJ Hamilton, Brad Dempsey and Colton Elias all recorded RBI while Nolan Winters got the win on the mound, tossing four innings and allowing no runs and striking out five batters. Hamilton pitched two innings of relief and would also allow no earned runs and picking up a strikeout.

Many of the kids on the 11-U club experienced the regional tournament last year as 10’s. That experience helped them work their way through the state championship bracket. The team had to come back against both Cumberland and Bristol to earn their spot in the championship game.

“The boys are battle tested, they stick together and they give it their all. We won all of our games, but they were all very close and the boys had to win in a variety of ways. They were spectacular,” said 11-U manager Marc Pelagalli.  “All they know is winning right now. It is great, but they didn’t take anything for granted. They knew that if they put in the hard work and were dedicated then they could do it. With last year‘s experience they know what to expect which is going to help us moving forward. Our goal is to make it back next year and have a chance to go to Williamsport. Win or lose, it’s going to be a great experience.”

Strong pitching and reliable defense was also key on the field, according to Pelagalli.

“It starts with Nolan Winters and a great defense behind him. JJ Hamilton is next up, and he is a strike thrower. We tell the kids that if we are going to lose, they’re going to have to beat us. That’s what we pride ourselves on. We throw strikes, we play great defense and we hit the ball timely,” said Pelagalli.

The 10-U squad beat Westerly in a 6-0 thriller in the title match.

The teams were scoreless after six innings of regulation play and would head to extras. The CWLL bats would explode in the top of the seventh as they put up six runs which would be plenty to get the job done in the bottom half of the inning.

Alex Fecteau, Brayden Leveillee, Kameron Monahan and Nazlin Benzan all knocked in runs while Monahan pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing just two hits and striking out nine batters.

“We played a lot of really intense games at the state tournament, a lot of them came down to the wire. Especially the last game, it was such a battle and there were so many emotions. To come out with the victory was incredible. You feel like you went to war,” said CWLL 10-U manager Sean Hart.

The 10-U regional tournament will once again be played at the CWLL complex on Hope Road, which Hart hopes works to his club’s advantage.

“We have done different things well throughout the summer, so hopefully we can put it all together and be the best version of ourselves. I think it’s an advantage because some of these kids play at that field from April through October. It’s what they are comfortable with playing there almost year-round,” Hart said.

The coaches CWLL are also proud of the feeder system that they have developed over the past few seasons.

Playing Little League baseball is still one of the coolest experiences, especially when you are playing at the highest level at multiple age groups. It says a lot about what we do as a league and the program that we have to help his kids play at the All-Star level,” Hart said.