WEST WARWICK — Sometimes the scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story, but in the case of the Riverside Post 10 Junior Division club it pretty much did Sunday, July 30, in a 7-3 loss to Cranston Auburn Post 20 to decide the 2023 Rhode Island American Legion Baseball League state title.

Winners by a 2-1 count in the first of two games between the sides Sunday in the final round, the locals couldn't quite hold it together after playing five games in around 48 hours over the weekend in what was searing heat at West Warwick's McCarthy Field.

Post 10 committed eight errors in the deciding contest, while only connecting for four hits and scratching out the three runs. Two of the tallies came in the bottom of the seven with Riverside decidedly trailing 7-1 at the time.

Rain Thursday, July 27, put a crimp in Riverside's weekend, postponing their tourney opener to the next night. The top seed in the event after finishing first in the regular season season standings, Post 10 lost to Cranston 4-2 in the winners' bracket final Friday, July 28, after beating Warwick Tree Post 2 of Warwick/West Warwick 5-1 earlier in the evening. Riverside returned to McCarthy Saturday, July 29, and dispatched South Kingstown Post 29 by a 7-3 score in the losers' bracket final.

The locals, however, could take some solace in knowing their summer slate wasn't quite over.

Rhode Island is the site for the 2023 Northeast Regional Tournament this coming week, Aug. 3-6, also at McCarthy. As the host state, Rhode Island gets two teams into the event, meaning both Post 20 and Post 10 qualified for regionals. Riverside will play at least two games in the double-elimination tournament. Post 10 begins play Friday, Aug. 4, at 12:30 p.m. against the Connecticut state champ from Naugatuck.

The locals will play again either way Saturday, Aug. 5, and at 12:30 p.m. If they win Friday, they'll face the winner of the game between Connecticut runner-up from West Hartford and the still to be determined Massachusetts state champ. If Riverside loses, Post 10 would face the corresponding loser of the same Connecticut-Mass. matchup.

More Game 2 notes

Aiden Martins led off the bottom of the first in Game 2 Sunday afternoon with an infield single to the third base hole and went to second on a throwing error. Cole Kepner later drove him in with groundout to short.

Cranston touched Riverside starter John Vaughan for the tying tally in the top of the second. Post 10 committed the first of the aforementioned errors when Nolan Lorenz lost a high fly to right in the sun. With the Post 20 batter now at second, Vaughan sandwiched two strikeouts around a single before allowing a sawed-off base hit to right to plate the run.

Post 20 broke the tie in the third. A Riverside error by Jayden Healey at third base put the first runner on. He then stole second. A single to right put men at the corners, but the first Cranston runner got a little greedy and was caught off third in a rundown. Post 10, however, couldn't secure the out, that runner coming home to make it 2-1.

Later, Healey's tough inning continued when his throw to first pulled James Lynch off the bag. The ball then came loose as he attempted to tag the runner, allowing the second run to come around.

Post 20 gave itself some more breathing room by scoring three times in the top of the seventh. Riverside committed four errors in the frame as Cranston built a six-run cushion.

Riverside made the final score a bit more respectable by notching three in the bottom of the seventh. Kepner reached on an error and Lynch's grounder was also misplayed. Palombo later singled to load the bases as did Vaughan to drive in Kepner. Lynch later came around on a wild pitch prior to the rally ending.

Game 1 notes

Martins lead off Game 1 Sunday with a single then came then stole second. He scored soon after when the Post 20 shortstop booted the grounder by Lorenz to make it 1-0 locals in the top of the first.

Riverside went up 2-0 after plating a run in the top of the third. Martins was again the catalyst, starting the inning with a double to left. He went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Lynch's single to center.

Post 20 touched Post 10 starter Ben Hellene for the only run he would allow in the bottom of the inning on a two-out double and a single.

Neither side scored the rest of the way. Hellene went six innings before giving way to Cole Kepner, who got himself into a jam after issuing consecutive walks with one out. Kepner next entice a slow grounder to short where Palombo fielded and threw to Lynch at first for the second out. Kepner proceeded to walk the next hitter to load the bases before he fanned the final batter to preserve the win.