WATERFORD—The Bristol Little League Softball 12-year-old All-Stars jumped out to a four-run lead in the first inning and held on to defeated East Lyme-Salem by a 5-4 to score to advance to Saturday’s state championship game.
In the elimination game played on Thursday, Livia Feeney threw a complete-game two-hitter to lead Fairfield to a 9-0 win over Madison-Clinton.
The winner of Friday’s East Lyme-Salem vs. Fairfield contest will have to beat Bristol twice for the state title and the right to advance to the New England Little League Softball Championship tournament.
Here’s a look at Thursday’s two games:
Bristol 5, East Lyme-Salem 4
Ava Lefurgey pitched 5.1 innings, giving up just two earned runs while striking out five to earn the win. Avery Collins took to the circle with one out in the bottom of the sixth to get the final two outs to earn the safe.
Bristol wasted little time taking control, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning.
After Keeva Knowles and Lucy Kalat reached base, Lefurgey delivered an RBI single to center to plate the game’s first run.
Makinnley Whitlock followed with an RBI single to left to double the lead, and Collins added another run with an RBI groundout.
Bristol capped the inning when Whitlock raced home on a wild pitch, giving Bristol a 4-0 advantage.
East Lyme-Salem answered in the bottom of the second, cutting the deficit to one.
After Alexa Priest doubled and the bases were loaded with two outs, Eva Manwaring lined a single to right. Three runs scored on the play as Priest, Ava Menchaca and Kennedy Fletcher all crossed the plate following an outfield error, trimming Bristol’s lead to 4-3.
Bristol picked up an important insurance run in the top of the fifth. Dakota Green singled to open the inning and eventually moved to third before courtesy runner Alexandra Patterson scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3.
East Lyme-Salem made things interesting in its final at-bat.
Manwaring reached and eventually scored when Paison Perkins delivered an RBI single to left, pulling ELS to within 5-4.
The potential tying and go-ahead runs were left in scoring position, however, as Collins fielded a ground ball and threw the run out, preserving the one-run victory.
Six different players had hits for Bristol, including FaithMarie Soto, who doubled.
For ELS, which also had six hits, Perkins and Manwaring both had two hits to go with Priest’s double.
Fairfield 9, Madison-Clinton 0
Feeney struck out three and walked just one in a strong performance as Fairfield stayed alive.
Offensively, Fairfield pounded out 12 hits in the win. Lucy Moore (1 run, 1 RBI) was 3-for-3 with a double while Sofia Domiziano had a single, a double and drove in three runs. She also scored a run. Harper Branscombe added two singles and Brynn Minar had a triple. Ella Schor added two RBIs, as well.
For Madison-Clinton, Ryan Macellar had a double and Genevieve Tomas had a single.
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