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Fairfield made it to the final game in the loser's bracket after a decisive win Wednesday over New Jersey, 12-2.
And now they will play the team from Texas, which topped Fairfield, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon. The rematch is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday and will be broadcast and streamed on ESPN.
Texas was sent to the loser's bracket after falling to North Carolina on Wednesday night, 2-1.
The winner of Fairfield vs. Texas matchup will play North Carolina at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the U.S. Little League championship game.
The winner of that game will go head-to-head with the international champs in the final game of the tournament.
In Wednesday's game, five runs in the first inning and a thrilling fourth-inning grand slam helped Fairfield American best New Jersey, 12-2.
The Fairfield-New Jersey consolation bracket rematch was to take place on Tuesday evening, but the weather in Williamsport, Pa., didn’t cooperate. In their first meeting last Thursday, when Fairfield defeated New Jersey, 7-6.
Fairfield made it to Wednesday’s game by walloping Walla Walla, Wash., 14-6, on Monday night.
On Wednesday, Fairfield pitcher Ethan Righter came out strong, throwing just seven pitches for three quick outs in the first inning.
Fairfield’s Matthew Vivona whacked one deep into left field, bringing in two runners to go up 2-0 with no outs.
The inning ended with Fairfield ahead 5-0.
New Jersey, the Mid-Atlantic champs, got their first run with a little looper out to right field in the second. A wild pitch from Righter allowed a second New Jersey runner to sneak in in the top of the third.
New Jersey held Fairfield to no runs in the second and third, but a few mistakes in the fourth left the bases loaded.
Then Troy Ashkinos came up to bat, smacking a grand-slam homer into centerfield to bring the score to 9-2.
“We’re over the moon,” his mom, Lisa Ashkinos, told announcer Julie Foudy. “I know he’s over the moon.”
Fairfield put up another two runs in the bottom of the fifth, which also featured the second rundown for the team.
Ashkinos smacked another one into the outfield in the fifth to bring home Tyler Bauer for the game-ending 12th run.
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