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Carlos Roquez hits, pitches Mount Pleasant past EWG in D-III final series opener
WEST WARWICK — Carlos Roquez had himself an evening on Friday.
Mount Pleasant’s two-way standout was covered in dirt from head to toe. He joked about needing an ice bath after the bus ride home from McCarthy Field.
Roquez’s appearance and general soreness were a product of his championship effort. The Kilties only need one more victory after taking command in this Division III baseball title series against Exeter-West Greenwich.
Roquez fired six strong innings and his offense jumped out early with five runs in the bottom of the second. Mount Pleasant eased to a 9-0 shutout of the Scarlet Knights and could add its second championship in the last five years by taking Sunday’s Game 2.
More:https://www.providencejournal.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/06/16/east-greenwich-wins-game-1-of-div-ii-baseball-seri
“I wasn’t feeling my best today,” Roquez said. “But I had to get the job done somehow.”
Roquez allowed just four singles and struck out six before Jose Soto cleaned up in the top of the seventh. The Kilties were in full control by that point thanks to at least one run in five of their six trips to the plate. Leo Nunez and Edward Roquez, Carlos’ brother, each reached safely three times and Sam Belboder chipped in a pair of RBI singles.
“It was important because we knew we were the better team this game,” Edward Roquez said. “We had our ace pitching. We wanted to get early runs and just make contact.”
Belboder beat out a grounder to deep short to make it a 1-0 game in the first. Mount Pleasant opened it up in the second, batting around to build a 6-0 advantage. Carlos Roquez lashed an RBI double to right-center, Edward Roquez laced a two-run single to center and Belboder dropped a run-scoring single down the line in right.
“I was feeling confident,” Carlos Roquez said. “I was like, ‘Let’s just throw strikes.’ My defense was amazing today.”
Nunez added another run when he cracked an RBI double to the gap in left-center in the fourth. Carlito Lara scored on an error in the fifth and Erison Mieses drilled an RBI triple to deep right in the sixth. The Kilties (18-4) allowed just two Exeter-West Greenwich runners to reach third base and Soto worked around a one-out single to finish a five-hitter.
“(Carlos Roquez) been pitching really good this season,” Edward Roquez said. “I don’t think he’s lost a game yet. But the job’s not done.”
The Scarlet Knights (17-5) have a chance to even the best-of-3 series on Sunday evening. Both teams came out of the losers’ bracket to reach this stage — Exeter-West Greenwich in Pod 1, Mount Pleasant in Pod 2 thanks to a pair of wins over defending champion North Smithfield. The Kilties could add to their 2018 crown with a victory in a 5 p.m. first pitch.
“We have to play this team like we’ve never played this team before,” Carlos Roquez said. “We have to be smart and execute. This team is not a bad team.”
Exeter-West Greenwich 000 000 0 — 0 5 2
Mount Pleasant 150 111 x — 9 10 2
Aidan Powers, Nicholas Lopes (3), Kole Kilduff (5) and Tyler Muniz. Carlos Roquez, Jose Soto (7) and Edward Roquez.
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
