Bristol Little League Softball All-Stars battle past Maine to advance to regional semifinal

By Rick Menning

BRISTOL, CT -- Over the years of girls' softball competition in the Little League New England Region Tournament, strong and consistent pitching from the host state's representatives has been a dominant theme.

In fact, those who have taken the spotlight inside the circle for Connecticut's Major Division champions for the previous three summers have been huge keys to their teams advancing to the Little League Softball World Series.

LASER FOCUS: Bristol Major Division Softball All-Star opening-round pitcher Ava Lefurgey goes into her wind-up and prepares to make another special delivery to catcher Dakota Green during a lights-out performance in front of a supercharged crowd on Sunday at Breen Field. (Photo courtesy of Vitad Pradith.)

Prior to this week's action, Milford (2023 and 2024) and Guilford (2025) earned the trip to Greenville, North Carolina with exceptional pitching to go along with timely hitting.

In their opening game on Sunday afternoon, the Bristol girls' softball all-stars took a major step in that same direction with those same keys to success.

Combining a super effort by Ava Lefurgey inside the circle with a booming two-run triple by Avery Collins, the girls from just down the road at Rockwell Park defeated Maine, 4-1, in front of a Breen Field home crowd estimated by regional tournament officials to be approximately 1,200.

Coming through with big pitch after big pitch, Lefurgey struck out the side in both the second and third innings enroute to a final total of 13 Ks. In that second frame, with only one out and two Maine runners on base via walks, she posted consecutive Ks to end the threat.

Working the zone with precision and consistency throughout the contest, Lefurgey added at least two strikeouts in each of the last three innings while her teammates produced in the clutch with their bats.

'FAN'TASTIC! Bristol All-Star hitter and third baseman Avery Collins acknowledges the cheers from her teammates in the dugout and the more than 1,000 fans in the stands after she blasted a two-run triple that put the Connecticut state champs ahead to stay in their game against Maine. (Photo courtesy of Vitad Pradith.)

With the score knotted at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, Collins -- who anchored third base defensively -- unleashed a line-drive two-run triple into the gap in right-center field to plate Lefurgey (single) and Mckinnley Whitlock (walk) to put the Connecticut district, sectional and state champs in front to stay.

By the time No. 00 reached third base, the cheers amidst a standing ovation from the home side of the bleachers were deafening. The loudness prompted the ESPN announcers in the press box to call the decibel level similar to the sound after a big hit at the Little League Softball World Series.

Second baseman Mary Thompson then scored Collins with Bristol's fourth run with a well-placed grounder with one out. The Maine fielder's only option was to throw over to first base as Collins raced home.

Collins began her 2-for-2 day at the plate with a one-out single to right in the second inning.

Rally time for the Bristol bat brigade

The visitors from Gorham, Maine -- who entered the game having rolled past Massachusetts on Saturday -- jumped ahead in the top of the first inning and that held until the bottom of the third when leadoff batter Lucy Bastiaanse provided an RBI single. The two-out hit scored Faith Marie Soto, who led off the inning with a walk. She proceeded to steal second and then moved over to third on a fielder's choice ground out.

With the win, the girls from the Rockwell Park neighborhood just a 10 or so-minute drive from the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Leadership Training Center advance to Tuesday's semifinal clash (weather permitting) against Rhode Island. First pitch is at 4:30 p.m. and the game is on ESPN+.

For continually updated schedules from the New England Region, as well as any weather-related changes connected with Tuesday's anticipated storms, visit this link: 2026 LLS New England Region Tournament - Little League

(Editor's Note: A very special thank you to Vitad Pradith for providing action photos from Sunday's game for my non-profit website. Pradith's daughter, Adelina, was a member of last summer's Guilford Little League Major Division Softball All-Stars that won the New England Region and advanced to the World Series.)

Little League Major Division Softball

State of Connecticut champions!

2026 Bristol Major Division Softball All-Stars (in alphabetical order): Lucy Bastiaanse, Avery Collins, Dakota Green, Lucy Kalat, Keeva Knowles, Ava Lefurgey, Alex Patterson, Juliana Pavlak, Faith Marie Soto, Mary Thompson, Ellie Tiscia and Makinnley Whitlock. The manager is Adam Whitlock, and the coaches are Mike Bastiaanse and Kevin Kalat.