Bristol’s Little League softball all-stars advanced to the sport’s World Series with a dramatic comeback win over Cranston, RI in the New England regional final.
Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the 6th inning, Bristol rallied for 3 exciting runs to win, 4-3 on Thursday afternoon.
“This team has played together so long, there’s so much trust and belief in one another that they actually saw themselves pushing together the next two runs and eventually the third,” said Bristol manager Adam Whitlock. “So, calm, cool, collected.”
Lucy Bastiaanse sparked the rally with an inside-the-park home run to the leftfield corner to pull Bristol to within 1.
With the game tied and the bases loaded, Avery Collins smacked a 3-2 pitch for a line drive up the middle. The ball deflected off the Cranston second baseman’s glove. Her throw home was late as Keeva Knowles scored the winning run.
The Bristol girls and their hundreds of friends and family in the stands at Bristol's Giamatti Little League Center erupted in celebration.
The Little League Softball World Series begins Aug. 2 in Greenville, North Carolina, and Bristol will be there representing New England.
