Riverside Friends Making Lifelong Baseball Memories

While soccer and lacrosse are growing in popularity and football seems to reign as king, baseball remains the national pastime for many. “The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh, people will come, they most definitely will come,” (Field of Dreams).

Jonathan “JJ” Renaud, Aidan Martins, Chris Charbonneau, along with Alex Enright and a few others, have been playing baseball in Riverside since pre-school days. They’ve played little league together, sandlot ball and are graduates of the summer Townie Baseball Camp. Some years they were teammates and other years they were on opposing teams. But they have maintained a common denominator – friendship and a love for baseball. Their families became good friends and life’s experiences are shared.

Most of these Riverside friends attended school at the same Riverside elementary and middle schools with minor changes as high school years approached. Martins, Renaud, Charbonneau, Enright were all LL all-stars and excelled in middle school ball. They also maintained necessary grades to keep them eligible for school sports. All are meeting or exceeding expectations as the group has entered high school. Most of this group are projected to excel in high school and be major contributing factors in their respective team’s performance.

Aidan Martins
Aidan is a sophomore at East Providence High School and is a key starter for varsity. While he has been a catcher and capable of playing in other positions, he has settled in as the everyday Townie center fielder and leadoff hitter. In recent back-to-back games, Aidan had six hits and made some great plays in the field, including a cannon of a throw from deep center to cut down a runner at home plate. He has had multiple key hit games for EP this season and runs with great speed.

Jonathan “JJ” Renaud
“We call him Jonathan but the baseball world uses his nickname JJ,” sighs his Mom. So JJ it is. JJ Renaud has been donning catching gear since the age of two. Most of it was too big to fit his two-year old frame. He has been an all-star at every level of the game and has developed into one of the state’s top catchers and overall players. He can also pitch and play all nine positions at a high level. If that isn’t enough, JJ can hit well, has blazing speed and is almost an automatic base-stealer as soon as he gets on base. JJ chose Hendricken for his high school career and has been a leader on the Hawks 9th grade freshman team. He catches, pitches, plays shortstop, hits well and steals bases. Basically JJ can do it all and at a high level.

Christopher Charbonneau
Chris has quickly but not-so-quietly advanced as an EP Townie. After playing well at Riverside Middle School, Chris has joined the Townie JV squad in his first year in high school. When the Townies were down a couple of senior starters, Chris was pressed into action as a varsity starting outfielder. He immediately had a positive impact making good defensive plays and being the offensive spark for one of the Townie wins in a tight game. He may have earned a significant position on the EP varsity team as a freshman.

Alex Enright
Alex is also part of the Riverside connection and has been playing for the Townie JV squad. East Providence doesn’t have a formal freshman team as many RI high schools also don't. Alex as a 9th grader has been playing a lot for the Townie JV’s. He can catch and make good contact at the plate.

Owen Richards, Jacob Sousa, Tristan Tysvaer and Damian Duarte are others also from the recent Riverside MS teams now at EPHS.

On Friday night May 3rd these friends were again on a ball field together. In a non-league (sort of exhibition game) the 11-0 Hendricken freshman team took on East Providence at EPHS. The Townies don’t feature a Freshman team but put together a team of EP 9th graders and some JV. A close 2-1 game broke open after a Hawk three-run homer solidified their win over EP. Hendricken’s freshman team is undefeated with JJ Renaud a major contributor. JJ caught on Friday night and came in to relieve the final two innings, striking out four. He pitched well except for one batter. His friend and former RMS teammate Chris Charbonneau laced a triple to deep center field. However, Chris was left at third as JJ struck out two to end the inning. Renaud struck out two more in the 7th to end the game.

Maybe because the game didn’t count in any standings or because it included good friends on the field, the game didn’t have the “edginess” an East Providence – Hendricken game usually has. That may yet come if the Townies and Hawks varsity meet in league playoffs. Both teams are chasing after a D1 state championship. Hawks are the favorites, but EP has been looking good.

As one parent said after the game, “the best part of tonight was seeing friends, families and enjoying the game on a nice warm night."

“Yes, baseball is a chance to squint at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingling in your arm as you connect with the ball. To run the bases - stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. Baseball is more than a game, it’s a lesson in  perseverance, teamwork, and resilience. The wisdom from players and coaches can inspire you to keep swinging, both on and off the field.” - Field of Dreams –

(As one who still sees friends from my early childhood, this writer hopes that the kids in this story remain friends for a long time. Oh, and lovers of baseball forever)