Entire Warwick North roster keeping LLWS run alive

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 8/23/16

After enduring a 7-2 loss to open the Little League World Series on Thursday, Warwick North needed to take a page out of Cumberland American's and Cranston Western's journal. Both of those teams, the respective

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Entire Warwick North roster keeping LLWS run alive

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After enduring a 7-2 loss to open the Little League World Series on Thursday, Warwick North needed to take a page out of Cumberland American’s and Cranston Western’s journal.

Both of those teams, the respective 2014 and 2015 Rhode Island representatives, rebounded from their first losses with tight victories in their losers’ bracket contests. However, there was nothing close about Warwick North’s 8-0 win over Northwest champion Bend, Oregon, on Saturday.

Colin Lemieux, preserved for the game after being lifted early against New York, pitched 4-plus innings of shutout baseball to keep Warwick’s title hopes alive. Kenny Rix was solid in relief as always, pitching out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fifth inning.

Cullen McGrew locked down the final out to keep Rix below his pitch limit, as Oregon went quietly in the sixth.

It’s been a group effort to get this far.

Much like its run through the district, state and regional tournaments, Warwick has seen its depth come to the forefront in Pennsylvania. As North clung to a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, reliever Bowen Nelson made life difficult. He struck out four of the first five batters he faced extending back into the third frame, and it looked to be a thriller developing between the two sides.

Then, Warwick sparked a rally. Thane Denton pinch-hit for leadoff hitter Aaron Narcavage, lining a 1-2 pitch into right field with two outs.

The base knocks kept coming after that. Dom Brazeau, who is a sizzling 5-of-5 in two games thus far, picked up another single.

“He’s just seeing the ball well,” Warwick North manager Ken Rix said. “He’s striking the ball well. He’s finding the holes. Obviously, you’ve got to be a talented player to put the ball in play. We’re seeing some of the best pitching around, but you also need some breaks. We’re fortunate to have a guy that’s not only hitting the ball well, but is finding the gaps, finding the holes.”

Lemieux, known for his seismic power at the plate, delivered an uncharacteristic-yet-effective RBI bloop single to increase the lead to 3-0.

Fighting until the last pitch of the inning paid off for Warwick North. Down to his last strike, Kenny Rix pummeled a fastball into left center field for a 3-run blast. North led 6-0 and never looked back. All eight of its runs on the afternoon came with two outs, a testament to the willpower it has displayed all season long.

Up and down the lineup, it is difficult to find a weakness with Warwick North. Narcavage provides shrewd patience and blistering speed at the top of the order, while the No. 2 through 6 hitters have considerable pop in their bats.

Sean Gallagher and Chase Pariseau, who hit in the fifth and sixth spots respectively, represent a formidable platoon at first base and behind the dish. Gallagher often starts at first and Pariseau at catcher, but they switch off and field each position well.

Their middle-of-the-lineup presence has paid dividends all summer. They combined to go 3-of-6 against Oregon with Pariseau smashing two doubles.

“He does his job for us day in and day out,” Ken Rix said of Pariseau. “Chase is one of those guys that grinds it out. He works hard all the time. He takes batting practice all the time. It pays off when he gets on the field. Chase could easily be up higher in the lineup, but he fits our role. Where he’s at right now, he does a nice job with it.”

The bottom three hitters present a bevy of other problems for the opposing team, since pinch-hitters frequently step into these roles in conjunction with the starters. D.J. Sollitto, Cullen McGrew and Dylan Bourret usually round out the order, but Max Turner and Denton have come in clutch in key situations this season as well.

Cam Nadeau, pinch-hitting for McGrew on Saturday in the second inning, loaded the bags for Warwick when he was hit with a pitch. McGrew would take over on the bases, where he would score the second run of the game.

Bourret and Brendan McCaffrey also often flash their wheels around the diamond, pinch-running to give North an advantage in tight situations.

The defense has been shored up, too. Since a sloppy 9-4 loss to South Kingstown during the District 3 tournament, Warwick North has had relatively few mishaps in the field. The squad remains cool under pressure, and it will have to continue to do so with the opponents getting tougher by the day.

“They’ve learned to bounce back from those types of losses,” Ken Rix said.

The nerves have dissipated with its first win under its belt. Now, Warwick North will face the loser of Bowling Green, Kentucky/Johnston, Iowa, this afternoon at 3 p.m, with Lemieux “more than likely” on the mound to start.

The only way for Warwick North to extend its run in Williamsport is to continue receiving contributions from all 13 players on the roster. The competition gets more difficult, with California, Tennessee or even New York waiting if North wins today.

“Their confidence is high,” Ken Rix said of the potential stretch ahead. “They’re not intimidated by the teams that are out here. That win even more so validated their thoughts. We came here to win the whole thing. If that doesn’t work out, that’s another thing, but our attitude is ‘One game at a time,’ and our goals is to get to the finals.”

Already, Warwick North has seen its stay last longer than Texas, last year’s U.S. runner-up, and Japan, the reigning Little League World Series champion. Teams from all around the country and the world will be looking to upend one another for a shot to play for the title this weekend.

If there are more New England upsets in the offing, all hands have to be on deck.

“We feel we have enough pitching to go two, three games in a row,” Ken Rix said. “We’re ready to make a run. Each kid is contributing in one form or another.”

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