The Cranston Western 11’s finished the job last week when they beat North Kingstown-Wickford in the state championship game, earning a spot in the upcoming New England regional tournament in Beverly, Mass.

After cruising to the title game, CWLL suffered its first loss of the summer when NKW took a 5-2 win to force the “if” game the following day.

CWLL responded in a big way, running away with an 8-2 win and grabbing the banner.

CWLL wasted no time taking the lead, as Johnny Durante hit a 2-run homer in the first inning. NKW tied things up in the bottom of the third, but CWLL responded right away in the top of the fourth with three more runs. CWLL added three more runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach.

Brooklyn Bank was strong on the mound, pitching 5 2/3 innings and allowing one earned run while racking up 11 strikeouts.

“(The first loss) was one little bump in the road, we told them to keep fighting, keep playing. It was great,” said CWLL coach John Moretta. “Everybody hit, everybody contributed. Brooklyn was great on the mound, Johnny hits the home run in the first and sets the tone, Gabe Tomasso had two, two-out hits. Guys were hitting, guys were bunting, the whole team contributed.”

With regionals coming up, Moretta was happy to see his team be tested in the state bracket, having to come back after a tough defeat.

“It was big. They won five in a row and beat this team already. I think there was a sense that they might walk away with it, but we didn’t. Losing is a good lesson sometimes and that was a good lesson for us last night. They came back much more focused and much more ready to play,” Moretta said.

The team had a six-day break between tournaments, which was its longest of the season. Moretta is confident in his group moving forward and feels it has the tools to get the job done.

“They need to reset, they need to relax and have some fun. The competition in the metro region is always tough. Pitching is key and putting the ball in play. When we make teams make plays we’re fine, when our bats go silent that is when we have issues. If Brooklyn pitches like he did tonight, if Max pitches like he did for the balance of the tournament, if Matthew Beverly can come in and close things out, we’ll be good,” Moretta said.

Moretta was also happy to represent CWLL, which has remained one of the Rhode Island’s top Little League programs.

“To be able to coach in this league and have kids in this league is phenomenal. It’s a community here, it’s my favorite time of the year. We just can’t wait to see what’s next and it’s such a community from the president on down,” said Moretta.

Members of the state championship team include: Jacob Hawksley, Gabe Tomasso, Will Moretta, Tommy Glasgow, Roberto Pereyra, Matthew Beverly, Brooklyn Bank, Cam Sears, Max Conte, Jaxson Pineda, Johnny Durante, Brayden Leveillee, Jack Bartolo, Victor Caldarone and Ethan Knowles.