Smithfield beats New York, 7-1, and will head to the Little League World Series
BRISTOL, Conn. — Change the format all you want. Rhode Island still knows the way to the Little League World Series.
Placement in the Metro Region against three traditional powers and modified double elimination were just right for Smithfield. Winner take all is where they’ve thrived for the last month. Friday night at Breen Field against New York champion Massapequa Coast was no different.
Connor Curtis was in command on the mound. Brady McShane was clutch at the plate. A seventh contest for its tournament life came on the biggest stage to date, and Smithfield passed the test yet again.
Brayden Castellone’s final strikeout in relief sent hats and gloves flying into the summer sky. Rhode Island stormed to a 7-1 victory against New York, clinching the seventh regional title for the state since 2011 and a corresponding ticket to Williamsport, Pa.
“I had confidence in my team,” McShane said. “We just had to play our game and we would be fine.”
Smithfield will open Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Lamade Stadium against Nevada champion Henderson. On Friday, Curtis allowed just three hits and struck out 14 while McShane singled twice and knocked in four runs. Rhode Island jumped to a three-run lead in the top of the first inning and never looked back.
“The bats just keep going,” Curtis said. “The pitching was going well. We all contribute in a way that helps us.”
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It was a dream start for Smithfield in the opening frame. Connor Queenan’s bunt single and a walk drawn by Curtis set the table. Castellone bounced a single through the right side and a throwing error gave Rhode Island a 1-0 edge. New York opted to keep the infield back and RBI grounders to short by McShane and Mason Dionne made it 3-0.
“They made adjustments at the plate,” Smithfield manager Eric Gibree said. “Shot the ball the other way. Had to make them move around — we scored some runs.”
There was more to come in the third. Ryan Land recorded the first two outs quickly but wasn’t on the mound to finish the frame. Castellone’s triple to the corner in right, McShane’s RBI single to right and Franco Lema’s bases-loaded walk knocked out New York’s starter and gave Smithfield a 5-0 lead.
Land fired a complete game and needed just 65 pitches in the opening 10-1 win over Smithfield on Saturday night. The right-hander found tougher sledding in this one, using more than 70 pitches to record eight outs. Smithfield touched up relief pitcher Matteo Pipia for more insurance in the fifth, as McShane grounded a two-run single to left through a drawn-in infield.
“Once we saw (Land), we all said we could hit him,” McShane said. “It’s not like we were afraid of him. We just weren’t on our game [in the earlier contest].”
Curtis reached his 85-pitch limit after fanning the first two men he faced in the bottom of the sixth. The flame-throwing left-hander had done more than enough to that point and the considerable traveling Rhode Island crowd that made the 90-minute drive offered him a standing ovation. Curtis allowed his lone run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third and permitted just three more baserunners.
“I was just throwing it where I could,” Curtis said. “Trying to catch them off guard and then maybe throw something off-speed to mess them up. It was just on point today.”
Castellone froze Land with a fastball on the outside edge for a called third strike, and Smithfield joined Cumberland American (2011, 2014), Cranston Western (2015), Warwick North (2016), Coventry (2018) and Barrington (2019) in the most recent chapters of the state’s history books. That came despite a switch out of the New England Region in 2022 and what seemed like a tougher placement against New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Smithfield eliminated each of those three teams on its way to a crown, matching a four-game march through Pawtucket, Cranston Western and South Kingstown in the state tournament.
“I thought about it before the game,” McShane said. “It’s just crazy.
“Not every kid can even make it to regionals, and we’re going to the next one — the Little League World Series.”
Smithfield, RI 302 020 — 7 8 0
Massapequa Coast, NY 001 000 — 1 3 1
Connor Curtis, Brayden Castellone (6) and Connor Queenan, Castellone (4), Queenan (5). Ryan Land, Matteo Pipia (3) and Tommy Tabone.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI beats NY, 7-1, and heads to Little League World Series
