Lincoln survives
Denio, Lopez lead team to state final
PAWTUCKET – When the Lincoln All-Stars sustained a shutout loss in the Little League Major Division Tournament winners’ bracket final on Sunday night, courtesy of Coventry righthander Tom Turner’s terrific two-hit outing, skipper Dale O’Dell knew exactly how to address the lack of offense.
O’Dell explained that in its tourney opener against Barrington, his club faced a southpaw who threw, perhaps, 61-62 mph, and Turner could push his heater up to the low 70s – if not higher – in a heartbeat.
The mentor decided to have a friend and relative to crank up the speed during a batting practice at Randy Hien Field on Monday to prepare for a losers’ bracket final opposite Cranston Western 24 hours later.
That work paid handsome dividends on Tuesday evening, when Lincoln racked up nine hits in all and rolled to a 5-1 triumph before a huge crowd at Slater Park’s Cosimini Field.
“The difference in this one was we had time to prepare (for the hurler),” O’Dell explained after Lincoln not only improved to 5-1 in the postseason but also qualified to take on Coventry in the championship tilt slated for 6:30 p.m., Thursday. Because the event is double-elimination, should the District 4 champs win that, they would force a “winner-take-all” tilt the next day at the same time.
“We had to go from a kid who threw low 60s to Turner who threw low 70s, an we had that game the next day; we didn’t have time to prepare,” O’Dell stated. “(CWLL) had that kid (Chris) Piscione, who’s really good; we knew he threw hard, so we amped up the BP (on Monday).”
Donavon Lopez led the offensive attack; after going 0-for-2 with two whiffs and a walk, he pasted a three-run homer in the top of the sixth to close the door on Cranston Western, which was eliminated.
Other key outings came from Jayden Champagne (1for-3, walk, RBI, two runs); Christian Khoury (1-for-2, double, run; Nate Evans (1-for-1, double, run); Carter Tillson (0for-1, two passes, RBI); Mike Bowler (1-for-1); and Ryan Allen (1-for-4).
As for the pitching and defense, righty starter Will Denio had an up-and-down kind of night. He lasted four full frames, yielding three wild pitches and the same amount of hits and walks, but also fanned four without allowing a run.
Southpaw Zach Evans would’ve earned a save if not for Lopez’ wallop in the sixth.
“I was a little nervous coming in, but I think everyone was,” Denio stated. “We didn’t want to lose, obviously, because then we’d be eliminated, but it was more of a nervous excitement. I thought we were ready to play.
“My curveball started to move in the second and third innings, so I wad using that to get them to feel more off-balance. I still say it was a total team effort.”
Really, who could argue?
Piscione scattered eight hits and three runs (all earned) and three “freebies” while striking out a trio in a 5 1/3-frame performance. He took the loss.
After threatening in the top of the second, Lincoln picked it up a notch in the third. Khoury whacked a leadoff, pinch-hit, opposite-field double down the right-field stripe, and Joey Conti tried to move him up with a sacrifice bunt, though Khoury stayed put.
Champagne, however, roped a ground hit to center to plate him, and he took second on a catcher’s miscue. Lopez then walked and Allen ripped a hit up the middle to juice the bags, and Tillson’s walk plated Champagne for the 2-0 advantage.
In the back half, CW looked poised to cut into the deficit when Denio walked leadoff batter Ed Silverio, who sprinted to second and third on consecutive wild offerings, and Ryan Dionizio drew a one-out pass and robbed second.
In the fourth, Denio pulled his magician’s act once more. Dante Piscopiello opened it after beating out an error, and Luke Pisnataro reached on a fielder’s choice. He moved to second on Cam Lussier’s hit, and both advanced on another wild delivery.
Denio still had only one out, but fanned Justin Drohen and got Silverio to bound out to short.
Because Denio had nearly reached his pitch limit at 82 after that frame, O’Dell chose to replace him in the fifth with the lefty Evans. And, on his first offering, Piscione crushed it over the left-field fence to knife it to 2-1.
Evans nevertheless fought back with three straight outs, one a whiff, to escape, and that set up the dramatic top of the sixth.
Brother Nate Evans smoked a two-bagger down the rightfield line before Piscione, then reliever Detonmasis, struck out the next two. Champagne manufactured a pass, and Lopez absolutely crushed a 1-0 high fastball at least 60 feet over the 200-foot fence in left-center to push the lead to four.
O’Dell credited not only his pitchers but also the defensive efforts of Champagne at short, Conti at second, Porcaro at third and Lopez and Allen in the outfield.
“Those guys in BP (Monday) sped our bats up by throwing faster,” Lopez stated. “It helped a lot because we knew we were facing a pitcher who could threw 70-72. We knew we had to get ready for that kind of speed, and we did.”