It was a battle of Warwick powers in last week’s Connie Mack state title game, and Flood Ford would defend its title but shutting out PAL 4-0 after dropping the previous game to its crosstown rival.

Flood’s pitching came up big in the deciding game, as Steve Maynard tossed six innings and allowed no runs while striking out seven batters. Ben Picone came on in relief in the seventh and picked up another two strikeouts to shut down the PAL offense. The duo were named co-MVPs for their performances.

Yadier Blanco led Flood at the plate with two hits and two RBI, while Cam Daley also hit a two-run double. PAL starter Brayden Ogden was sharp despite the loss, pitching 5 2/3 innings and striking out 10 batters.

Pitching has been Flood’s calling card all season and once again produced in the playoffs.

“(Picone’s) a four-time Connie Mack member and one of our leaders, Steve Maynard was coming off a big JV season and we knew he could step up if we needed him to. Dylan Poloski stepped up, Yianni Fotopoulos was another four-year member that we could rely on,” said Flood manager Bryan Leahey. “They helped bring the leadership. They knew after Tuesday that we had to go out there and get it done. They were locked in, focused and gave it everything they had to make sure we got the job done.”

Top-seeded PAL took the previous game when Dylan Perreault hit the game-winner in the top of the seventh. The two clubs were 2-2 against one another heading into last Wednesday’s winner-take-all meeting.

Leahey was thrilled for his veteran players, some of who were also a part of Hendricken’s state championship team back in June.

“To those guys, it meant a lot to them to have the opportunity to repeat as champions. For some of those guys to be part of three championships in a calendar year, it really meant a lot to them when they stepped back and took in the moment,” Leahey said.

This summer’s field was as competitive as ever, as Flood, PAL, La Salle and West Warwick were in a season-long dogfight for seeding. That race spilled into the playoffs, where all four teams dropped games to one another.

“That’s what it comes down to in Connie Mack. When it gets to playoffs, it’s about who has the pitching and who shows up. The best teams were the final four, so it was about who showed up on the day. We were fortunate that our guys stayed healthy and stayed the course to keep up with the big boys,” said Leahey.

As always, Flood is expected to say bye to a handful of key starters. Leahey is confident in his team’s depth as it prepares to fill those roles.

“Every year it’s a new challenge. Those guys were special guys and we can’t fill their shoes exactly, but we have some leaders that will help fill the gap,” said Leahey. “We just need to keep rolling, see what we have and go from there trying to piece together a team. We just need to be ready at the end of the year once we get back to the postseason.”