WESTERLY — The East Providence High School baseball team will play a winner-take-all contest for a spot in the Division II championship series after the Townies went on the road to Westerly Sunday night, June 2, and came home with a 2-0 victory over the top-seeded Bulldogs in the final round of pod play.

Townies' co-ace Dylan Annicelli went the seven-inning distance on the hill for the locals, while his mates scratched out a pair of runs in the top of the third to hand Westerly its first loss of the 2024 postseason and force a one-off contest for the Pod 1 title Monday night, June 3, back in East Providence. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

The winner of Monday's game advances to the best-of-three D-II title series where East Greenwich awaits. The top seeds in Pod 2, the Avenues advanced to the league championship unbeaten after St. Raphael in its opener 13-3 then handed Barrington a 6-2 loss in the winners' bracket final. The Eagles earned a rematch by beating the Saints 3-2, but EG bettered Barrington again in the pod final also this past Sunday by a 9-5 count.

The Avengers, whom the reigning D-II champion Townies edged 2-1 in last spring's title series, are assured at getting another crack at the trophy.

East Providence took a big step towards setting up another showdown against EG with its win Sunday as the Townies got the better of the Bulldogs after Westerly had beaten the locals 3-2 earlier in pod play.

Annicelli was terrific in twirling the shutout on 99 pitches. The junior right-hander scattered seven hits, walked but one and whiffed eight. He did hit a batter.

On offense, the locals got to Bulldogs' starter Jack Tenuta for the only two runs of the game in the third. Actually, the tallies were pretty self-inflicted by the Westerly senior righty.

After getting the first out, Tenuta walked Tyler Dicecco on four pitches, who then stole second. Max Correiro next worked a long at-bat into another free pass. Aidan Martins, like classmate Correiro one of two fine EPHS freshmen, drew another walk on only five pitches to load the bases.

Kyler Lorenz followed with a fielder's choice grounder the opposite way to second base to plate Dicecco with the first Townie tally. Tenuta next was called for a balk, allowing Correiro to come around with the second EPHS run.

The Townies won despite only getting two hits and just one off Tenuta, who otherwise was superb as he finished with a line of five innings pitched, two earned runs, four strikeouts and four walks. He, too, hit a batter, EP's Oliver Andrews in the top of the fourth.

The Townies' first hit came after they scored when Martins beat out and infield single in the fifth. The other EP hit, scored as another infield single for Kyler Lorenz, was allowed by Westerly freshman reliever Jack Zerbarini in the top of the seventh.