Johnston Continues Playoff Roll

Johnston's 13-to-14-year-old All Star team pounded out 11 hits in a 17-run first inning against host team North Providence on the way to a 19-2 victory and a berth in the District I Tournament finals.

The win followed a 10-0 shutout of Cranston's Edgewood/South Elmwood squad on July 9.

North Providence put up an early fight, taking a 2-0 lead early on a Dave Sciarra single to left and a Kyle Rodriguez fielder's choice ground ball in the top of the first.

The deficit was quickly erased by Johnston in the bottom half of the first. After two walks and a hit batter, Johnston's Joe Bongiovanni belted a grand slam for a 4-2 margin.

It was just the beginning of Johnston's offensive onslaught.

Zach Coro, James Picchi, and Mike Caparco each drove in one run with singles, extending the lead to 8-2. Gian Martelini drove in two more runs with a signle to left.

Bongiovanni singled to right field, driving in two more runs on the way to six RBIs in the inning. Coro went 2-for-2 in the inning, driving in two runs and reaching base on a walk.

After the dust settled, Johnston had plated 17 runs in the first inning on the way to a 17-2 lead.

Martelini drove in two more runs with a single to deep center, bringing the tally to 19-2. The game would end after 3 1/3 innings of play under the league's rules that a contest can be called when one team leads by 15 or more runs and the other team has batted four times.

Johnston is scheduled to play in the championship game Sunday night at 5:30 p.m. Watch JohnstonPatch for updates on the team's opponent and the location of the game.