BRISTOL—For three innings, the Bristol Little League Softball 12-year-old All-Stars and Gorham (Maine) traded punches without either team able to land the decisive blow.
Then Bristol finally broke through.
Avery Collins ripped a two-run triple into right field to snap a 1-1 tie, Mary Thompson followed with an RBI groundout, and Ava Lefurgey made the lead stand up with a dominant performance in the circle as Bristol, the Connecticut state champs, defeated Maine, 4-1, Sunday in New England Little League Softball Regional play.
The win moves Connecticut into Tuesday’s semifinals, and another step closer to a regional championship behind a pitching performance that grew stronger as the game went on.
After allowing an unearned run in the top of the first, Lefurgey settled into a rhythm that Maine never solved. The right-hander scattered four hits over six innings, struck out 12 and walked four. She struck out eight of the final 11 batters she faced, including the side in both the third and sixth innings.
Maine grabbed the early lead when Sophia Santiago singled, stole second and third, then scored on a catcher throwing error during Natalie McCurdy’s first-inning walk.
That would be the only run Lefurgey allowed.
Bristol threatened in the second after Collins and Thompson delivered back-to-back singles, but McCurdy escaped the inning with the game still 1-0.
Connecticut finally broke through in the third.
Faithmarie Soto worked a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced to third before Lucy Bastiaanse lined a two-out RBI single to right, tying the game at 1-1.
The biggest inning came one frame later.
Lefurgey helped start it with a one-out single before Makinnley Whitlock drew a walk. Collins then lined a shot into right-center that rolled deep for a two-run triple, scoring both runners and giving Connecticut its first lead at 3-1.
Thompson followed with a ground ball to short that brought Collins home, stretching the advantage to 4-1.
Lefurgey made sure it was more than enough.
Maine mounted its best threat in the fourth when Sloane Taaffe and Santiago opened the inning with consecutive singles. With runners at second and third and one out, Keeva Knowles fielded a ground ball and fired home to Dakota Green to cut down Taaffe trying to score. Lefurgey then froze Maeve McDonald with a called third strike to escape the jam.
From there, Maine managed just one more hit, a fifth-inning single by Amelia Cote.
Collins paced Connecticut’s five-hit attack by going 2-for-2 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored. Bastiaanse and Thompson each added an RBI, while Lefurgey also collected a hit and scored.
Santiago finished 2-for-2 to lead Maine’s offense, while Taaffe and Cote added the other hits. McCurdy struck out five over five innings in the circle.
Connecticut finished with five hits, while Maine collected four. The game featured 17 combined strikeouts, with Lefurgey accounting for 12 of them.
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