Lincoln LL Baseball falls at Metro Regional to end memorable summer
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Lincoln Little League Baseball already made its memories.
Anything beyond the 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars’ stunning state tournament run would’ve added to an already standout summer. The District 4 All-Stars improved steadily throughout their run and became the state’s best Little League team.
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That honor isn’t lost after a quick exit in the vaunted Metro Regional at A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Leadership Training Center in Bristol, Connecticut. Lincoln fell, 10-3, to New York in its first regional match on Saturday, Aug. 8, and then Connecticut sent Rhode Island home with a 6-2 defeat on Sunday night. A five-run fourth inning was Rhode Island’s undoing as Connecticut tries to defend its regional crown.
Lincoln faced adversity from the start of its summer with consecutive losses in the districts. Cumberland and Scituate toppled Lincoln in a pair of nip-and-tuck losses near the beginning of the tournament.
The response was that of a team with championship DNA.
Lincoln posted a 42-0 run differential over its next two games. The offensive explosion led to a defeat of Scituate and an 11-0 victory vs. Woonsocket in the district final. The state should have been on notice then that Lincoln wasn’t afraid to play with its back against the wall.
The All-Stars toppled state tournament host, Cranston Western, in Game 1 of the tournament before falling to Barrington, 5-1, in the winner’s bracket final. It rebounded against Cranston Western and then escaped with the state’s crown after a pair of 2-1 victories against Barrington.
Milo Sheridan starred in the first championship meeting with a dozen strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings pitched. Tucker Choiniere handled the pitching duties in the winner-take-all match and was just as impressive with a complete-game victory. Hugo Fiero drove in Sheridan for the state-championship winning run to finish off the memorable summer.
Rhode Island’s only had one team advance out of the Metro Regional after Little League went away from the traditional New England bracket following the 2021 season. Smithfield captured that regional title with a 7-1 victory over New York in 2023. It then won two games on the world’s stage in Williamsport. It’s an arduous road to Pennsylvania, but the victors in Bristol are usually rewarded.
Connecticut finished third at Williamsport last year despite losing to New York in Bristol. It opened with a 2-1 victory against New Jersey and then beat the Garden State, 3-0, to reach the regional final.
Rhode Island’s next regional winner might have that same potential. But for now, the state’s bragging rights belong to Lincoln after a summer of celebrations.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Lincoln LL Baseball falls at Metro Regional to end memorable summer