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PROVIDENCE – Gavin Palombo stepped to the plate at exactly the time when a baseball team needed a veteran to come through.
East Providence was leaking oil in this rivalry showdown with La Salle, and Palombo had a chance to turn the tide. The Townies clung to a one-run lead in the top of the sixth inning, just a few short outs away from the Division I Pod 2 title game.
Palombo cracked a two-run double to deep right field, one swing that changed the mood at Toti Baseball Diamond. Max Correiro followed with a two-run homer in the same direction, and the Rams were done rallying on this Thursday afternoon.
East Providence battled to a 9-4 victory that put the program just one win away from a return to Rhode Island College. Palombo was part of a team that captured a Division II title there in 2023, paving the way for a move back to the state's top level. The Townies are now sitting pretty while La Salle and Smithfield will play an elimination game and require an extended streak to reach the best-of-three championship round.
“This was the biggest game of the year,” Palombo said. “If we win this game, it’s just one more game until the championship.
“When you have to play a tough team like La Salle, you don’t want to play them twice in a row. We wanted to get it out of the way now.”
East Providence’s early five-run cushion was trimmed to just 5-4 when Palombo dug in with one out. Chris Charbonneau drew a walk and Aidan Martins lined a single to right to set the table for Palombo, who laced a 2-2 pitch just shy of the warning track. Charbonneau and Martins both scored easily, and the Townies suddenly had breathing room yet again.
“I’d been getting the curveball previously in the game, so I was thinking heater,” Palombo said. “I had two strikes on me, got a fastball up and out and just went with it.”
Correiro came to the plate for a left-left matchup with David Cavalloro and had every intention of adding on. He got ahead in the count and crushed a pitch to deep right-center that landed in the parking lot beyond the chain-link fence. Correiro was posing on contact and playing to the visiting dugout along the first-base line, as his teammates rushed to greet him at the plate after a trot around the bases.
“That’s one of my best friends – obviously, there’s no beef,” Correiro said. “It’s all love. But I had to get up there and do a job.”
JJ Renaud wrapped up a gutsy complete game from there, using a 4-3 double play to escape the bottom of the sixth and tossing a 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the seventh. The right-hander looked unlikely to make it to the finish with the Rams chipping away, plating two runs apiece in the third and fifth to make things interesting.
“That was the whole gameplan – don’t show them any respect,” Palombo said. “Just go, play and be our team. That’s it.”
East Providence needed a late comeback to edge Lincoln in the previous round – there was no falling behind on this occasion. Renaud helped himself with a two-run double to deep right-center and Kyle Desrosiers ripped a run-scoring single just over the glove of La Salle shortstop Adryan Urena to make it a 3-0 game in the first. Charbonneau followed with a solo homer to left leading off the second, and the Rams went quickly to their bullpen.
“We knew how much this game meant,” Correiro said. “We’ve seen these guys before and know how they play ball. They were a great match.”
Cavalloro issued a couple walks after coming on in the second but quickly settled in, striking out six straight at one point and entering the sixth retiring 11 of the previous 12 men he faced. That bought La Salle some time to get going offensively, and a two-run double up the gap in left-center by Cavalloro made it 5-2 in the third. Brady Collins cranked a run-scoring, ground-rule double to right-center and Cavalloro lined an RBI single to right that brought the Rams within one.
“With our team, I know we can beat anybody by 10 runs,” Palombo said. “We’re also not scared of a fight.”
La Salle (15-8) now hosts the Sentinels for the second time after a 12-1 win on Tuesday, as Smithfield stayed alive with a 6-0 shutout of the Lions. Jackson Chamberlin struck out 15 and the Sentinels scored four times in the top of the first to set the tone. The Townies (17-4) will be resting until a Sunday meeting with the winner and a Monday winner-take-all rematch if necessary.
“We were doing this all winter,” Correiro said. “We’re just so glad it came together.”
East Providence 320 004 0 — 9 7 0
La Salle 102 020 0 — 4 6 0
JJ Renaud and Jamison Sydney. Jairo Martinez, David Cavalloro (2), Cam Slack (7) and Brady Collins. HR – Chris Charbonneau, Max Correiro (EP).
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Score of East Providence baseball playoff win over La Salle May 28 2026
Continue reading...
East Providence was leaking oil in this rivalry showdown with La Salle, and Palombo had a chance to turn the tide. The Townies clung to a one-run lead in the top of the sixth inning, just a few short outs away from the Division I Pod 2 title game.
Palombo cracked a two-run double to deep right field, one swing that changed the mood at Toti Baseball Diamond. Max Correiro followed with a two-run homer in the same direction, and the Rams were done rallying on this Thursday afternoon.
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East Providence battled to a 9-4 victory that put the program just one win away from a return to Rhode Island College. Palombo was part of a team that captured a Division II title there in 2023, paving the way for a move back to the state's top level. The Townies are now sitting pretty while La Salle and Smithfield will play an elimination game and require an extended streak to reach the best-of-three championship round.
“This was the biggest game of the year,” Palombo said. “If we win this game, it’s just one more game until the championship.
“When you have to play a tough team like La Salle, you don’t want to play them twice in a row. We wanted to get it out of the way now.”
East Providence’s early five-run cushion was trimmed to just 5-4 when Palombo dug in with one out. Chris Charbonneau drew a walk and Aidan Martins lined a single to right to set the table for Palombo, who laced a 2-2 pitch just shy of the warning track. Charbonneau and Martins both scored easily, and the Townies suddenly had breathing room yet again.
“I’d been getting the curveball previously in the game, so I was thinking heater,” Palombo said. “I had two strikes on me, got a fastball up and out and just went with it.”
Correiro came to the plate for a left-left matchup with David Cavalloro and had every intention of adding on. He got ahead in the count and crushed a pitch to deep right-center that landed in the parking lot beyond the chain-link fence. Correiro was posing on contact and playing to the visiting dugout along the first-base line, as his teammates rushed to greet him at the plate after a trot around the bases.
“That’s one of my best friends – obviously, there’s no beef,” Correiro said. “It’s all love. But I had to get up there and do a job.”
JJ Renaud wrapped up a gutsy complete game from there, using a 4-3 double play to escape the bottom of the sixth and tossing a 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the seventh. The right-hander looked unlikely to make it to the finish with the Rams chipping away, plating two runs apiece in the third and fifth to make things interesting.
“That was the whole gameplan – don’t show them any respect,” Palombo said. “Just go, play and be our team. That’s it.”
East Providence needed a late comeback to edge Lincoln in the previous round – there was no falling behind on this occasion. Renaud helped himself with a two-run double to deep right-center and Kyle Desrosiers ripped a run-scoring single just over the glove of La Salle shortstop Adryan Urena to make it a 3-0 game in the first. Charbonneau followed with a solo homer to left leading off the second, and the Rams went quickly to their bullpen.
“We knew how much this game meant,” Correiro said. “We’ve seen these guys before and know how they play ball. They were a great match.”
Cavalloro issued a couple walks after coming on in the second but quickly settled in, striking out six straight at one point and entering the sixth retiring 11 of the previous 12 men he faced. That bought La Salle some time to get going offensively, and a two-run double up the gap in left-center by Cavalloro made it 5-2 in the third. Brady Collins cranked a run-scoring, ground-rule double to right-center and Cavalloro lined an RBI single to right that brought the Rams within one.
“With our team, I know we can beat anybody by 10 runs,” Palombo said. “We’re also not scared of a fight.”
La Salle (15-8) now hosts the Sentinels for the second time after a 12-1 win on Tuesday, as Smithfield stayed alive with a 6-0 shutout of the Lions. Jackson Chamberlin struck out 15 and the Sentinels scored four times in the top of the first to set the tone. The Townies (17-4) will be resting until a Sunday meeting with the winner and a Monday winner-take-all rematch if necessary.
“We were doing this all winter,” Correiro said. “We’re just so glad it came together.”
East Providence 320 004 0 — 9 7 0
La Salle 102 020 0 — 4 6 0
JJ Renaud and Jamison Sydney. Jairo Martinez, David Cavalloro (2), Cam Slack (7) and Brady Collins. HR – Chris Charbonneau, Max Correiro (EP).
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Score of East Providence baseball playoff win over La Salle May 28 2026
Continue reading...
