Fairfield (Conn.) American Little League won all six of its games in the New England Region Tournament to earn its second trip to the Little League Baseball World Series. The Connecticut State Champions defeated Bedford (N.H.) Little League, 14-0, for the title today at the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Leadership Training Center in Bristol, Conn.
Fairfield American Little League earned two one-run victories in the regional, but in the six games outscored the opposition, 60-8. Two of the victories were by shutout.
In the championship game, Will Lucas collected four hits and drove in four runs, and Kevin Oricoli had three hits and three RBI to lead a 14-hit attack that saw Fairfield American Little League score in every inning except one. Starting pitcher Matt Kubel got all but the final out of the contest to win his fourth game in the tournament. Kubel gave up six hits and struck out four. Biagio Paoletta hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to increase his RBI total to 18 in the regional tournament.
Fairfield American Little League, which played in the 2010 World Series, advanced to the championship game with a 4-3 victory over South Burlington (Vt.) Little League in one semifinal game. Bedford Little League, which played in the 1993 World Series, earned its way into the title game beating Wellesley (Mass.) South Little League, 2-0, in the other semifinal contest.
Fairfield American Little League joins Aguadulce Cabezera Little League from Aguadulce, Panama, the Latin America Region Champion; Kitasuna Little League from Tokyo, Japan, the Japan Region Tournament Champion; Asia-Pacific Region Champion, Kuei-Shan Little League from Taoyuan County, Chinese Taipei; Pariba Little League from Willemstad, Curacao, the Caribbean Region Champion; Middle East & Africa Champion, Lugazi Little League from Lugazi, Uganda; Mexico Region Champion, Oriente Little League from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico; KMC American Little League from Ramstein Air Base, Germany, the Europe Champion; McAllister Park National Little League from San Antonio, Texas, the Southwest Region Champion; Great Lakes Region Champion, New Castle (Ind.) Little League; Kearney (Neb.) Little League, the Midwest Region Champion; Hastings Community Little League from Vancouver, British Columbia, the Canada Region Champions; and Gresham (Ore.) National Little League, the Northwest Region Champion, in the 16-team Little League Baseball World Series field.
The New England Region champion will play its first game in the World Series, Aug. 16, against the West Region Champion.
The 66th Little League Baseball World Series, for 11-12-year-olds, will be played in South Williamsport, Pa., Aug. 16-26. Sixteen teams from around the world will vie for the coveted title of World Champion.
The World Series will use the same format as last year with the teams split into two eight-team brackets – a U.S. bracket and an International bracket.