Gershkoff sweeps South Kingstown in quarterfinals

The Cranston Herald ·

No. 6 Gershkoff Auto Body/Auburn Post 20 upset No. 3 South Kingstown Post 39 last week, as it swept its way to a semifinal berth with 8-1 and 9-5 victories in the best-of-3, quarterfinal series between the two teams.

Gershkoff powered its way to an 8-1 victory over SK at Sprague Field in Narragansett on Thursday evening behind the strong pitching tandem of John Beneduce and Cam Harris, as the two hurlers combined to yield just one hit in the landslide victory.

It was Connor Kiernan’s turn on the bump in Game 2 at Cranston Stadium on Friday, and the former Cranston West right-hander didn’t disappoint, going eight innings and giving up two earned runs over that span. Chris Manfredo relieved Kiernan late and shut SK down the rest of the way en route to a 9-5 win.

Outfielder Mitch Carvalho sparked Gershkoff’s offense in both games, totaling five hits and four stolen bases in the series. Manfredo also got it done at the plate in Game 1, posting three hits.

Gershkoff is clicking on all cylinders heading into its semifinal matchup with top-seeded Navigant Post 85, as its pitching, defense and offense are all peaking at the right time of the summer.

Post 20 was set to take on Navigant in Game 1 of their best-of-3 series at McCarthy Field in West Warwick on Tuesday, but results were unavailable at press time. Game 2 between Gershkoff and Navigant was also set to be played at McCarthy Field on Wednesday evening.