EAST PROVIDENCE — The respective Riverside Post 10 teams, sponsored in part by the ATC (Athletes turned Champion) performance center owned and operated by East Providence High School coach Bobby Rodericks, was set to begin their 2024 Rhode Island American Legion Baseball League seasons over the last week.

Each was actually supposed to open with home games Wednesday night, June 12, at Pierce Field in East Providence, but the Senior Division outing was postponed due to paperwork issues on the part of both Post 10 and its opponents from Post 39 in South Kingstown, according to Riverside coach Kyle Marquis.

Instead, the two sides will begin their summers in SK on Monday night, June 17, with a double-dip at 6 and 8.

As for the Post 10 Juniors, they were able to get their 2024 first pitch in against Cranston/Auburn Post 20 last Wednesday in a rematch of last year's state final won by the visitors when Riverside and starter JJ Renaud shut out their opponents 5-0. 

The locals scored runs in their first three at-bats, including the only one they would prove to need in the bottom of the first. Renaud, hit by a pitch, and Will Haggerty, single, reached with one out. The former later scored on Nolan Lorenz's groundout to second.

Riverside added a pair in the home half of the third, to build a 4-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Renaud, who just finished his Riverside Middle School career and season, was mowing down the opposition. The right-hander kept the visitors off the board through four frames on just 46 pitches.

Riverside added another run in the fifth, Renaud eventually  scoring again on a Lorenz groundout. The Hendricken-bound hurler then backed it up with a 1-2-3 sixth.

Renaud found a bit of bother in the top of the seventh as two Cranston runners reached, one on a error, but he ended the game on his 87th pitch by enticing a grounder to James Palmeiri at third base for the locals. He allowed just one base hit on the evening.

Post 10/ATC, as it has for the last several seasons, is a combined program with players also representing Post 8 from Barrington, Warren and Bristol, the latter two making up Mt. Hope High School.

More Juniors notes

The Riverside Juniors are coming off  a superb campaign of a year ago. Post 10 fell in the winner-take-all RIALBL title game to the aforementioned Post 20 by a 7-3 count. The locals forced an "if" game in the final of the double-elimination tournament by earning a 2-1 decision over Post 20 earlier in the championship round.

It was a wild end to the state tourney  for Riverside, which because of weather had to play five games in around 48 hours in what was searing heat at West Warwick's McCarthy Field.

Despite the loss and because Rhode Island was the host state for the junior regionals, Post 10 did get to play in the New England tournament. The host state places its winner and runner-up in the regional playoffs.

Riverside made the most of that appearance as well, reaching the finals again before coming up just shy in a 5-0 loss to Post 87 from Lowell, Mass.

In the end, the juniors wound up with a 17-5 overall record. Post 10 finished first in the regular season standings for a second summer in a row and was the top seed in the playoffs after going 11-1.

Emond and Kevin Lethbridge are back on the staff, which this summer includes Robert Wordell. Wordell steps in to replace long-time coach and administrator Frank Devall.

The 2024 Post 10 Juniors roster includes: Aiden Martins, Alex Enright, Ben Hallene, Brandon Dicceco, Braylen DeCosta, Charlie Lucas, Chris Charbonneau, Graham Franke, Jacob Sousa, James Palmeiri, Jamison Sydney, JJ Renaud, Lexington Garelli, Max Pawlick, Mcquire Camelo, Nolan Lorenz, Will Francis, Will Haggerty. Martins and Haggerty are expected to see time as well on the Post 10 Seniors club when warranted/possible.

More Seniors notes

The Post 10 Seniors roster includes: Martins, Brian Rutkowski, Chris Promades, Cole Kepner, Colin Roche, Dan Desilets, David Murphy, David Redmond, Dylan Annicelli, Henry Ballou, Jayden Healy, Kyle Desrosiers, Kyler Lorenz, Max Carreiro, Oliver Andrews, Rhys Davies, Tyler Dicecco and Haggerty.

Davies and Desilets are from the Mt. Hope (Bristol-Warren) program. Barrington is represented on the squad by Cole Kepner, David Redmond and Chris Promades. Three locals who attend the Moses Brown School in Providence are also on the club: Barrington's David Murphy and Henry Ballou who live in Barrington and Rumford's Haggerty.

Of note, EPHS junior pitching standout Tim Robitaille, who formed the ace duo for the Townies with Annicelli, has opted not to return to the Legion ranks, instead choosing to play only AAU/travel ball this summer.

The seniors went 7-5-1 overall last summer, including a doubleheader to loss to Warwick Shields Post in the preliminary round of the playoffs. Brothers Keith and Kyle Marquis return to lead the coaching staff, joined this year by Adam Duarte. The latter replace former member Tyler Maxwell who stepped away due to job constraints.