WATERFORD—The Bristol Little League Softball 12-year-old All-Stars wasted little time seizing control and never looked back, scoring four runs in the opening inning before pulling away for a 12-2 victory over Fairfield to capture the 2026 Connecticut State Championship on Saturday.
The win thrust Bristol into next week’s New England Regional championship, which will be held in its hometown starting next Saturday.
Bristol pounded out 11 hits and took advantage of seven walks and four Fairfield errors, while Lucy Ba. and Ava L. combined to limit Fairfield to just two hits in the four-inning contest.
Lucy Bastiaanse ignited the offense from the outset, leading off the game with a triple to right. Two batters later, Lucy Kalat launched a two-run home run to center field for a quick 2-0 lead.
Bristol kept the pressure on after loading the bases with a walk and a single. Ellie Tiscia delivered the big hit of the inning, lining a two-run single to right that scored Ava Lefurgey and Makinnley Whitlock for a 4-0 advantage.
Fairfield answered in the bottom half of the inning. Caitlin Flory walked, stole second and scored on Molly Flynn’s RBI double to center. An error later in the inning allowed Flynn to score, trimming the deficit to 4-2, but Bristol escaped further damage with an inning-ending double play.
Bristol immediately answered in the second. Alexandra Patterson singled to open the inning and eventually scored on Keeva Knowle’s RBI single. Moments later, Lefurgey added an RBI single to plate Juliana Pavlak, extending the lead to 6-2.
Neither team scored in the third before Bristol put the game out of reach with a six-run fourth.
Dakota Green and FaithMarie Soto opened the inning with consecutive singles before Patterson drove in two runs with a single to left. After Pavlak reached on an error, Bastiaanse lined a two-run single to center, making it 10-2. Bristol added its final two runs on wild pitches after consecutive walks loaded the bases.
Bastiaanse earned the victory in the circle, allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits over three innings while striking out one. Lefurgey worked a perfect fourth inning, striking out one.
Bastiaanse finished 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored to lead Bristol’s offense. Kalat homered, drove in two runs and scored twice, while Patterson went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Tiscia added a two-run single, Knowles drove in a run and scored, and Lefurgey had an RBI, scored once and tossed the scoreless final inning.
Flynn accounted for Fairfield’s biggest offensive highlight with an RBI double, while Flory added the team’s other hit and scored a run.
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