/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25550621/voultar_snes2.jpg "This Chip Fixes a Long-Standing Super Nintendo Glitch")
Bristol, Connecticut – Change the layout as you like. Rhode Island still knows the way to the Little League World Series.
Placement in the Metro area against a traditional three powerhouse and double rate cancelation was a perfect fit for Smithfield. Winner takes all is where you thrived last month. Friday night at Brain Field against New York champions Massapequa Coast was no different.
Connor Curtis was in command on the mound. Brady McShane was claw at the plate. The seventh contest of the championship came on the biggest stage yet, and Smithfield again passed the test.
Brayden Castillon’s final hit in relief sent hats and mittens into the summer sky. Rhode Island stormed to a 7-1 win over New York, claiming the state’s seventh regional title since 2011 and a corresponding ticket to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
“I had confidence in my team,” McShane said. “We just had to play our game and we’ll be fine.”
Smithfield will open Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Lamad Stadium against Nevada Little League champions Henderson. On Friday, Curtis allowed only three hits and struck out 14 while McShane scored two runs and struck out four runs. Rhode Island jumped out to a three-run lead in the top of the first and never looked back.
“The bats keep walking,” Curtis said. “The show was going really well. We all contribute in a way that helps.”
more:The RI Little League team is still alive as it prepares to take on NJ. Here’s what’s next
more:Here are the top 5 Rhode Island minor league teams of all time
It was a dream start for Smithfield in the opening inning. Connor Quinnan’s solo and Curtis’ walk set the table. Castillón bounced one ball across the right side and gave Rhode Island a 1-0 throwing error. New York elected to hold the backfield and RBI shorts by McShane and Mason Dionne made it 3-0.
“They’ve made adjustments at the plate,” said Smithfield manager Eric Gebre. “He hit the ball the other way. We had to get them moving – we scored some runs.”
There was more to come in the third. Ryan Land quickly scored the first two exits but was not on the hill to finish the frame. Castellon’s triple to right cornerback, McShane’s RBI single to right, and Franco Lima’s bases-loaded walk pulled out New York’s start and gave Smithfield a 5–0 lead.
Land shot a complete game and needed just 65 runs in a 10-1 win over Smithfield on Saturday night. The right-hander found his skating tougher in this game, using more than 70 pitches to score eight teams. Smithfield touchdown relief pitcher Mateo Bibbia for two more runs in the fifth inning, with McShane grounding a single through left side.
“As soon as we saw (the ground), we all said we could hit it,” McShane said. “It’s not like we were afraid of him. We just weren’t on our game.” [in the earlier contest]. ”
Curtis hit the 85-yard boundary after fueling the first two men he faced in the bottom of the sixth. The flame-throwing left-hander had done more than enough up to that point, and the large crowd of Rhode Islanders who made the 90-minute drive gave him a standing ovation. Curtis allowed him to run his own on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third and only allowed three more batters.
“I was just throwing it where I could,” Curtis said. “Trying to catch them off guard and then maybe throw something off the pace to spoil them. It was just at one point today.”
Castellone froze Land with a fastball on the outside edge for a called third strike, and Smithfield joined the Cumberland Americans (2011, 2014), Cranston Western (2015), Warwick North (2016), Coventry (2018) and Barrington (2019) in the most recent book seasons. State history. That came despite exiting the New England region in 2022 and what looked like a tougher situation against New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Smithfield eliminated each of those three teams en route to the crown, matching a four-game rally through Pawtucket, Cranston Western, and South Kingstown in the state championship.
“I thought about it before the game,” McShane said. “It’s just crazy.
“Not every kid can even get into the colts, and we’re going to the next cohort—the Junior League World Series.”
Smithfield, RI 302020-7 8 0
Massapequa Coast, NY 001000 – 1 3 1
Conor Curtis, Brayden Castillon (6) and Conor Quinnan, Castillon (4), Queenan (5). Ryan Land, Matteo Bibbia (3), and Tommy Tabone.
On X: @BillKoch25
“Travel aficionado. Infuriatingly humble reader. Incurable internet specialist.”
More Stories
Cardinals acquire pitcher Eric Fedde from White Sox in three-way deal with Dodgers
Detroit Tigers trade Carson Kelly to Texas Rangers
Rafael Nadal wins Olympic singles tennis title, sets up Novak Djokovic next round