FAIRFIELD, Conn. The Fairfield Little League softball team is two wins away from returning to Bristol for the Eastern Regional. North Branford certainly made Fairfield earn that right in Wednesdays Section 1 championship game.
Fairfield beat North Branford, 3-1, Wednesday to win the Section 1 championship. Fairfield, which is undefeated in post-season, will play the winner of Thursdays game between Mystic and Middletown for the state crown. The best-of-three state tournament begins Saturday at Sacred Heart University. The second game is scheduled for Sunday, and the if-necessary game on Monday.
These kinds of things dont come easy, Fairfield manager Jarry Rasmussen said. It was probably the most nervous Ive seen them. We forget sometimes that these are 12 and 13-year-old girls. I thought it was interesting that some of them were so nervous. It took an inning or so just to get them back in the moment.
After going hitless through three innings, Fairfield took a 1-0 lead on Anna Rasmussens sacrifice fly in the fourth. Kayla Bivens added an RBI single in the fourth. After North Branford scored in the bottom of the inning, Fairfield added a run on a bases-loaded walk to Rasmussen in the fifth. We got it done with old National League-style baseball, Jarry Rasmussen said.
Pitcher Brittany Romero waded out of several jams and Michaela ODonnell made a terrific throw from the outfield to gun down a runner at second base to end another North Branford threat. Romero closed the game with consecutive strikeouts. Fairfield is 20-0 in Section 1 tournament games in the last four years.
Its special to win these, Rasmussen said. They are 12 or 13 year old and still dreaming. One of them said, This never gets old. They dont take anything for granted. Thats kind of refreshing.
The winner of the state tournament heads to Bristol for the East Region championshipbeginning July 20. The Connecticut champion plays Vermont in the opening game.
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