Stormy weather throws a wrench in EG’s lead

WARWICK - They almost got the game completed in its entirety, but Mother Nature had other plans. The East Greenwich 12’s had two separate opponents to contend with on Tuesday as they faced off against Warwick North in the opening round of the double elimination District 3 Tournament at Abe Klitzner Field. There was the team that they were trying to beat and there was the impending thunderstorm drawing nearer with each pitch thrown. In the end, the weather won the day, as the skies opened up midway through the fourth inning, putting the game on hold, but thanks to some quality pitching and timely hitting, EG will have the benefit of enjoying a 1-0 lead when play resumes.

“I’d love to resume it tonight, but we’ll see where we are. That’s a lot of rain,” head coach Tom O’Brien said, gazing out at the increasingly unplayable conditions on the infield. About half an hour after the rain started coming down and lightning began to flash every so often, Tuesday’s contest was postponed until the following day, with at least two more innings needed to determine a winner. 

EG, despite playing on Warwick North’s turf, was the home team on Tuesday and showed every sign of comfort and familiarity as they would at Cragen Field.

Harry Karnes got the start on the mound and would go on to shut the Warwick North bats over four scoreless frames, working his way around a two-out walk right before the rain began.

“He’s was pitching very well, very happy for him,” O’Brien said.

EG was held off the board through the first two innings from an offensive standpoint, but was able to get to Warwick North’s Mason Hunt in the third, plating the game’s lone run before the pause in action. Kevin Chen got the rally started with a two-out bunt single. After successfully stealing second, he would come around to score on an RBI single off the bat of Quinn Daily to make it 1-0 midway through the contest.

Kyle Rezendes drew a two-out walk against Karnes in the top of the fourth, but that would be as close as Warwick North would get to answering with a run of their own. Before long, everyone was huddled indoors, under shelter, soon to learn that they would need to come back the following day in order to resume the game.

Play will pick up in the bottom of the fourth inning with EG looking to build on their one-run lead, needing to get six more defensive outs to advance to the following round. 

The winner is set to play this coming Saturday against the winner of NK/Wickford vs. South Kingstown, while the losing team is scheduled to face Coventry on Thursday, needing a victory to keep their season alive.

EG began the summer season approximately three weeks ago with practices in mid-June. They scrimmaged on a couple of occasions and had another two practice games get rained out. 

O’Brien, whose son Brady is on the roster, is hoping that the group can experience as much success as possible over the weeks to come.

“My hope for these kids is to get a win. I’d like for them to have the experience of winning a game,” he said.

Many of the team’s members have been playing together for several years now, with the disruption of last season making this year all the more meaningful.

“Last year there was COVID, so this is a special experience for them,” said O’Brien.

Follow Nick Cantor on Twitter @cantornick