March 28, 2024

SPORTS UPDATE

Posted

EPHS Girls Lacrosse Dominating D3
The Townie girls lacrosse team continues to impress everyone and overwhelmed Johnston High School 17-0 in a quarterfinal playoff win at East Providence on May 28th.  Lacrosse is relatively new to East Providence and the girls team hasn’t been to a championship game since 2010.  Before this year, most of these players were still getting their feet wet with the sport. Haley McCusker was a new head coach and inspired her team to not give up.  McCusker spent most of last year teaching the basics needed to play lacrosse and that experience has obviously paid dividends this season with the team only losing one match this season.  “My players have responded well and I’m happy with our progress,” said coach McCusker.

The win on Saturday May 28th was a Townie offensive explosion right from the beginning.  East Providence scored almost immediately with Olivia Williams scoring the first goal of the game and first of her three first half goals.  By half time the score was 11-0 in favor of East Providence and the Townies never eased up, scoring 6 more goals in the second half.  Ryleigh Grant and Isabel Tavares also added 4 goals each for the dominating Townies.  Ava Williams and Kenna Wigginton each scored 3 goals and Emma Leduc, Emma Nordquist and Tessa Laroche also scored for EP.

The Townies offense seemed able to score at will as they kept the ball in Johnston’s zone most of the game and passed crisply without errors.  The defense hardly broke a sweat and Townie goalie

As of this writing, the two-seed Townies are slated to play in a semi-final match against number three-seed Cranston East Wednesday, June 1st.  The ReporterToday.com will report the game result.  The Townies have never made it to a championship game but have been in playoffs three different times.  The Townies defeated Cranston East back in April and expect a tight semi-final match.

The Townie roster includes: Tessa Laroche, Olivia Williams, Haley Massa and Alivia Amaral, Emma Nordquist, Gabrielle Phaneuf, Emmaile LeDuc, Ryleigh Grant,  Makayla Rebelo, Kaylee Vieira, Rylee Jackson, Kenna Wigginton, Eva Laroche, Sarah D'Agostino, Katherine Almeida, Abagail Leddy, Ava Soares, Ava Williams, Dylan Flynn and Isabel Tavares.

Riverside MS Baseball loses in Semi-Finals
The Riverside Middle School baseball team finally lost a game.  After racing through an undefeated regular season with a 10-0 record and finishing as Eastern Division champs, the Vikings lost Thursday, May 26th to Curtis Corner MS (CCMS) from South Kingstown. The Vikings won their quarterfinal match to Cole of East Greenwich but Curtis Corner, winner of the state’s Southern Division, was too much for RMS in semifinal action at Pierce Stadium.  The game tone before a packed crowd was set early.  CCMS struck quickly in the top of the first inning.  The first two batters reached base on a walk and hit batsman.  A stolen base, a single, a wind-blown blooper to center field and a fielder's choice grounder led to early runs.  When the dust settled, RMS was trailing 4-0.  CCMS scored two more runs in the top of the second on three hits and the score was 6-0 after two innings of play.

Riverside played from behind the entire game but never gave up.  "It wasn't our night," coach Matt Laroche said after the game.  "That is a very good team (CCMS) but I know we can play better.  That's baseball," said the disappointed coach after the game.  Some observers felt that the long delay in the start of the game didn't help.  The game was scheduled for a 5:30 pm start but South Kingstown had trouble getting a school bus and was then delayed in Route 95 traffic.   The Vikings had warmed up and then had to wait for the late-arriving S. Kingstown team.  "The half hour or so delay didn't help," said Laroche, "but no excuses.  We lost the game.  I told our kids to hold their heads high, it was a great season.  We were one of the top four teams in the entire state and division champs," he added.

CCMS would score two more runs in the fifth inning on three hits and a stolen base.  Riverside facing an obvious uphill battle would eventually score in the bottom of the fifth on a double by Aidan Martins, a fly to center field and a hard single by Jayden Healey.  CCMS also committed a pitcher's balk helping the RMS cause.

Riverside set down CCMS in order in the top of the seventh on two infield grounders and a fly to center field.  For its part, RMS attempted a comeback in the last inning, scoring a run, but fell short.  Riverside got runners on base with a single from Healey, a double from Martins and walks to Owen Richards and Nolan Lorenz.   Lorenz would score the 2nd and final run for the Vikings.

As RMS players left the field with disappointment, they were met by appreciative applause from students, parents, grandparents and others.  "Nothing to feel bad about, you guys had a tremendous season," was the unanimous sentiment heard over and over.

RMS Shuts out Cole Middle in Q Final
In earlier quarterfinal action, Riverside continued its undefeated journey Tuesday night May 24th by shutting out Cole MS of East Greenwich 4-0. The game, although tightly played, was never in doubt. Riverside jumped out on top early and never looked back. Aidan Martins led off the first inning by getting to 1st base on a strike out but wild pitch. Gavin Palumbo then walked and both runners advanced with a double steal. Jayden Healey then smashed a double which plated both Martins and Palumbo. Healey then scored from 3rd base on a pass ball and the Vikings were quickly up 3-0 in the first inning.

The game stayed that way until the bottom of the 5th inning when Gavin Palumbo led off with a single followed by a Jayden Healey single. Both runners advanced with a double steal and on a Kyle Desrosiers sacrifice grounder to short stop, Palombo scored the Vikings 4th run.

The Vikings played stellar defense throughout the game and received great pitching from Nolan Lorenz and Gavin Palombo. Cole MS made a move to rally in the 4th inning when they led off with a single, but the runner was quickly snuffed out with a nifty pick off play at first. Viking pitching completely shut down the hitters and defense did the rest.

RMS Thrilling Come From Behind Win to Stay Alive
Things looked gloomy at the crowded Riverside Recreation Complex on Friday night, May 20th for the Riverside Middle School baseball team. The 9-0 Eastern Division champions were down to the 5-3 Westerly Bulldogs of the state’s tough Southern Division, late in the game. “We had a pretty easy run through our divisional play this season, except for the tough 13 inning win over Kickemuit,” said RMS head coach Matt Laroche. “We haven’t really had to fight through something like that (Friday night) this year and we have been telling the team we won’t have it so easy in the state playoffs. These kids came through and that’s huge for the playoff push to be able to stay calm and focused in those situations. The team knows it’s a challenge to win the state championship,” said Laroche.

Laroche and his assistant coaches Kris Hallene and Chris Martins have their work cut out for them. They must keep 14 middle school student-athletes focused and ready to play and stay sharp themselves. An especially arduous task after just “mercy-ruling” through many opponents in a 9-0 regular season. Friday’s game against Westerly wasn’t picture perfect. The game started later than its 5:15 game time as Westerly made their way to Riverside. Toward the end of the game the umpires were keeping new "white" balls in play as dusk was settling in. There were some fielding errors, bad hops and a couple other miscues from both teams. The Westerly pitcher was tough to hit and in a quick moving game, RMS was down 5-1. “I was a little worried, to myself, at that point,” said Laroche, “but coaches urged the team to not give up and play one pitch at a time.”

Indeed the Vikings chipped away at the Bulldog lead. Viking baserunners were hard to come by early but the team ended up with 8 key hits. Aidan Martins, Gavin Palombo and Jayden Healey each had two hits. Kyle Desrosiers and Lefty Hallene each had a hit. Martins had a stolen base and scored two runs, Palumbo also scored two runs along with an RBI and Healey drove in a run. Desrosiers contributed an RBI and Hallene had a big day at the plate getting three walks, scoring two runs and knocking in two key RBI. Others contributing to the offensive comeback for Riverside were Nolan Lorenz with a nifty sacrifice bunt and JJ Renaud scoring a run.

The Viking pitchers were steady and while not the best game of the season, it was very rewarding in the end. Viking starter Nolan Lorenz pitched 5 innings with 1 strikeout, 3 walks on 7 hits. Westerly scored 5 runs. Gavin Palombo came in relief and gave up no runs while allowing 1 hit, 1 walk and struck out 2 over two innings pitched for the win.

Defensively, the Vikings made some key plays including a couple of double plays and catcher Kyle Desrosiers gunning down a Bulldog key steal attempt of second base. Nolan Lorenz snared a hard-hit line drive back to the mound and doubled up a runner at third base to escape a Westerly scoring threat. “This was an all-around team effort for us where everyone contributed at some point offensively, on the base paths, or defensively,” said Laroche. Riverside hadn’t scored a run through 3 ½ innings but got on the scoreboard in the 4th. Hallene scored the first run on a Bulldog throw to 2nd base trying to pick off a steal attempt from Williamson. In the 5th inning, JJ Renaud scored on an infield single by Healey. Martins and Palombo both scored on a key hit from Lefty Hallene which brought Riverside to within 1 run of Westerly. Later in the 5th Hallene scored from third on a pass ball. The game was tied in the 6th when Martins scored the go ahead run on a Palombo infield single and Desrosiers’ infield hit brought home Palombo making the score 7-5 for RMS. Palombo kept Westerly scoreless in the 7th and the Vikings had their 10th win and opening round playoff victory to the delight of the large, fairly nervous, RMS fan base at the Rec.

EPHS Boys Volleyball in State Playoffs
The playoff bound East Providence High School Boys Volleyball team defeated the Tolman Shea Co-Op three games to zero on May 24th. The game played at home was the Townies Senior Night. The seniors didn't disappoint. "We came out with a lot of energy on Senior Night and they carried that momentum throughout," said Townie head coach Dan Cabral after the match. "Every senior contributed to the great team win." As the team enters their playoff run this week, the EP Reporter will post game information online.

May Volleyball Review:
The Boys Volleyball team earned a hard-fought victory over Westerly on the road.  The team dropped the first two sets but showed grit and determination to eventually win in 5.  The scores were 15-25, 16-25, 25-15,25-12, 15-13.  “We were led by sophomore DJ Lepine who played outstanding with 9 kills and 15 assists. Junior “JC” Jayden Cadwell showed amazing leadership.  He also had 4 blocks and 5 kills,” said coach Cabral.

In an earlier game last month, the Townies defeated Barrington 3 games to 1.  Brett Schwab had 8 kills and 11 digs, Kyle Dunn continued his solid play all around with 5 kills 8 digs and 16 assists.  Grant Wosencroft also chipped in with 9 kills.

And the Townies defeated Pilgrim 3 games to 1 also. The game scores were 25-18, 23-25, 25-17 and 25-11.  The team was led by Xavier Hazard with 10 kills and 12 digs and Grant Wosencroft with 9 kills and 2 aces.

EP traveled to Toll Gate and were led by Xavier Hazard with 14 Kills and 10 Digs in a shut out win.  Freshman Jordan Roriguez played extremely well in his Varsity debut.  His solid defense and passing helped the team to pick the victory.

EPHS Softball in Playoffs
The girls softball team improved their record with a 9-0 win over North Kingstown last month. Keira Quadros picked up the shut out with 8 strikeouts and only 1 walk and went 3 for 4 at the plate with a double, two singles, and 2 RBI’s. Vianna Chamberlin was also hot at the plate with an inside the park home run and a single. Ava Mendence had a nice day at the plate as well, going 3 for 4 with 3 RBI’s. Desiree Fernandes also picked up a sacrifice fly RBI in the 2nd inning to score the first run of the game.

The Townies lost a tough contest to Lasalle after a defensive battle and scoreless nine innings. The Townies struck first in the top of the 10th, scoring 4 runs with a sacrifice bunt from Mackenzie Pimentel, singles from Ava Mendence, Gigi Sosa, doubles from Hailey Kaiser and Desiree Fernandes, and an RBI fielders choice from Keira Quadros. Unfortunately, in the bottom of the 10th, Lasalle’s bats also came alive, racking up a quick two runs on well hit singles, and ending the game with a walk off grand slam to finish it 6-4 Lasalle. Keira Quadros controlled the game, throwing 8 strikes outs with a solid defensive showing behind her.

The team defeated Moses Brown at home 1-0, with the winning run crossing the plate in the bottom of the 7th. Gigi Sosa started the Rally with a one out single, advancing to second on a hard-hit ball up the middle by Keira Quadros.  Abby Hollingworth laid down a perfect bunt, causing an error at first and scoring Sosa to win the game.  Keira Quadros ended the shut out with 13 strikeouts, one walk, and only 4 hits, while a solid defensive showing by Sophia Patterson, Gigi Sosa, Emma Bergeron, Ava Mendence, and Mackenzie Pimentel, held off the Quakers.

Softball playoff results will be posted online.

EPHS Boys Tennis in Playoffs
Townies boys tennis team continues to roll after sweeping Coventry 7-0. The 1st doubles team of Jayden Amaral and Adam Sullivan snatched the first point with a 6-3, 6-0 win and Jordan O’Hara playing the first time at 4th singles grabbed the second point seconds later with a 6-1, 6-1 win. Nathan Thurber playing at 3rd singles won 6-2, 6-0 and James McShane sealed the deal with a 6-2, 7-5 win at his first time at 1st singles. Closing the courts was Miguel Flores playing for his first time at 2nd singles with a 3-set victory 6-2, 4-6, 10-8 deciding set tiebreaker.

“We got it done after visiting Cranston East. Jordan O’Hara got his 2nd win at 4th single 6-1, 6-0.  Miguel Flores chipped in soon after with a 6-2, 6-0 win.  First doubles, Jayden Amaral and Adam Sullivan gave us the third point with a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Sealing the match with his second 1st singles win this week was James McShane 6-4, 6-3. In closing the 3rd doubles of Angel Lucas and Matthew Grilo played in their first varsity match and played with great energy and communication to a 6-2, 6-0 win,” reports coach Paul Amaral.

The Townies dialed up a 7 to 0 victory over Central high school in previous action. “That win gave us a record of 4-1 at that time. James McShane gave us our first point with a 6-1, 6-0 win and immediately after the 1st doubles team of Jordan O’Hara and Jayden Amaral grabbed the second point. Shortly after, Nathan Thurber notched the third point at 4th singles 6-4, 6-1. Securing the match was Miguel Flores at 3rd singles. Following along was Jaydon Massa and Jeffry Diaz at 3rd doubles then Alijah Speaks-McSwain and Adam Sullivan at 2nd doubles. For the 7th point, Brayden Rouette took a 11-9 3rd set decision for a great victory!” said Head Coach Paul Amaral.

Until the new tennis courts are ready at EPHS, the Townies have been playing matches at the Kendbrin Swim & Tennis Club in Riverside. Coach Amaral was exuberant in describing a Townie win over Chariho at Kendbrin: “The most amazing come from behind win in my tennis coaching career of 20 plus years was seen by myself and the teammates of James McShane. After losing the first set 6-3 and being down in the second set 5-1, James fought back to win the second set 7-5. In the third set down 5-2, he broke serve and continued to tie the set up at 5-5. Going down 6-5 and down 15-40, he again kept his composure and took the game to go into a tie-breaker where he won 5 points before giving up 2 points and closing out the match with fierce serve that was returned wide and into the net. That match point gave us the 4th and deciding point for the team win.”

Earlier, EP faced Woonsocket and saw their first 7-0 sweep of a team. “It was a little easy as they only had 4 singles players. However, at 1st singles, Brayden Rouette had to go to a third set to secure the sweep with scores of 7-5, 4-6, 10-4. Nathan Thurber surprisingly, after going 3 sets in his first two matches, was the first of the court with scores of 6-1, 6-0,” relayed coach Amaral.

“Our season started well against West Warwick with a 6-1 victory. #1 singles, Brayden Rouette, finally got his first win after going through a drought his freshman season. Other first victory were had by Jayden Amaral(1st doubles), and Houn Kim and Jeff Diaz(3rd doubles). Closing out the match with a 3rd set victory was Nathan Thurber. This sophomore laden team has a lot of promise to contend in Division 3 this year. Stay tuned as the season unfolds,” added Amaral. “This is a special team. I’m grateful to be a part of it,” said assistant coach Slade Sharma.

EPHS Girls Track
The Townie girls track team finished 10th in the state championship scoring 23 points. The 4x100m relay team consisting of Nazarae Phillip, Trinity Johnson Carter, Maddie Slovick, and Khanna Burgo finished 6th in the state. Nazarae Phillip finished 2nd in the 100m and 2nd in the 200m. Madison Slavick finished 2nd in the long jump. Madison Slavick and Nazarae Phillip earned freshman all state honors. The Townies will compete at the Last Chance Qualifier at Conley Stadium.  Results will be posted at ReporterToday.com.

Summer Sports Camps Are Back:

Townie Volleyball Camp 2022

  • Week 1, July 11-15, 2022.  Week 2,  July 18- 22, 2022.
  • Girls and Boys entering grades 7-12 are welcome.  Camp runs from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm each day.  REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, JULY 5, 2022.
  • Location - East Providence High School
  • Entrance - North end of building near old CTC Building.
  • The mission of the camp is to teach skills, proper techniques, and the correct approach to the game, all in an enjoyable atmosphere. T-shirts will be provided to participants who register on time.
  • Campers should wear comfortable clothes and bring their own water.

FEES: $250.00 for 1 week or $425.00 for both weeks
Make Checks Payable to: Friends of Townie Athletics
C/O Dan Cabral, 14 Woodcrest Drive, Riverside RI 02915

Townie Football Camp 2022

  • July 11 – July 15  9am to 12:30pm
  • Ages 8-14
  • Location:  EPHS Footbal Field, 2000 Pawtucket Ave.
  • $100 Per Player, Includes Camp t-shirt
  • Players will learn basic fundamentals, position specific skills & drills, blocking and safe tackling, speed and agility.
  • For Registration Information, contact: epfootballcamp@gmail.com

Townie Baseball Camp 2022 – August 8-12th
The 2022 Friends of Townie Athletics Baseball Camp will be held from August 8th to August 12, 2022.  Players T-Ball through high school are welcome.  Camp runs from 9 am to 12:30 pm each day at Pierce Stadium. 

Lunch will be provided each day at 12:30 for those who want one.  The mission of the camp is to teach skills, proper techniques, and the correct approach to the game, all in a fun-filled atmosphere. Tee shirts will be provided to participants who register on time. Registration on a first come first serve basis. Register early!  Late registrations accepted, but no guarantee on camp shirt. Campers should bring own equipment! Campers are encouraged to bring own water!

CAMP COACHES:
EPHS Coaching Staff, RI High School & College Coaches, Former EPHS Standouts, Former Professional Players, RI All-Star High School Players, ATC Baseball Staff.

Hitting, Fielding, Bunting, Base-running, Pitching.  Competitions.  Pitching drills and warm-ups with Pro and College Pitchers. Game competition!  Fun Contests with prizes and awards! Fun While Skills Building! All Proceeds Benefit EPHS Baseball & EP Middle School Sports!

Baseball Camp Registration Information is being finalized and will be posted online at ReporterToday.com and in other areas.

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