The Cranston Western 12-year-old All-Stars topped North Providence 2-1 to win the District I championship on Monday night.

It was the team’s closest game of the summer to this point and the 12’s leaned on their pitching to get the win as the bats were held to just two hits. Aydenn Reyes, Brad Dempsey and Johnny Martinez combined to toss six innings and allow just one run on five hits while striking out five batters. Nick Delngenis drove in a run on a groundout to pace the offense, which scored each of its runs in the first inning.

This was the team’s third straight district title as a group, and it will now focus on winning its third straight state championship in the coming days.

“The kids were excited. They’ve experienced a lot of winning in the past so it wasn’t anything new to them. The older they’ve gotten, they handled it the right way,” said 12’s manager Anthony Simeone.

CWLL rolled to a 10-0, five-inning win over Elmwood in the semifinals. Nolan Winters, JoJo Hamilton and Martinez all drove in multiple RBI while Ashton Pelagalli and Colton Elias also knocked in runs in the win. Reyes and Dempsey were stellar on the mound, tossing a combined no-hitter while racking up nine strikeouts.

Although CWLL used the momentum of some lopsided wins to its advantage, Simeone was glad to see the group get a tough test prior to the state bracket.

“For them, it was good to be in a really good baseball game. We’ve played seven games, we’ve played a lot of baseball. When you’re not in close games and then you’re in one, it can be tough to make that adjustment,” Simeone said. “I think it was good leading up to the state tournament. It’s important to not take your foot off the gas pedal and they did that.”

With a trip to regionals on the line, as well as an appearance in Williamsport in the upcoming Little League World Series, Simeone and company hope that the core’s big-game experience will pay dividends in the coming days.

“Every one of these kids has played in a big game, some type of regional tournament. That goes a long way. They’re also very close off the field and that (translates) on the field,” said Simeone.