Portsmouth Little League all-stars are headed to the state tournament. How they got there.

Steve Rogers, Newport Daily News
·3 min read

After playing two games in two days the Portsmouth Little League Major Division all-stars had to hang around 13 days to participate in their next contest and then were forced to wait another week to compete again.

It didn’t matter though because the results were all the same – a Portsmouth victory. The local stars captured the District 2 championship on July 16 in Bristol when they defeated Bristol/Warren 8-4.

"On paper the East Providence/Riverside team and the Bristol/Warren team were the favorites," Portsmouth manager Bob Campion said. "A lot of people assumed they'd be the two teams in the finals.

The Portsmouth Majors Division 2 championship all-star team.
The Portsmouth Majors Division 2 championship all-star team.

"To not lose at least one game to them, personally I was surprised. And I think we did surprise some of the other teams. We got good pitching and the defense was solid. Hopefully, we can keep that going."

The final district win clinched a berth in the state tournament which starts Saturday in North Providence where Portsmouth will go against District 4 winner Cumberland at 4 p.m. Win or lose Portsmouth will play District 1 winner Johnston or District 3 winner North Kingstown/Wickford on Monday in the double-elimination tourney. All games are being contested at Lee Romano Little League Field in North Providence.

Members of the district championship team – managed by Campion who’s assisted by coaches Jay Brule, Bill Boiani and Dan Smith – are: Tyler Boiani, Lachlan Bronson, Kane Brule, Ryan Campion, Thomas Desrosiers, Carter Doran, Tyler Doucet, Brady Fanning, Ryan Grant, Ben Humm, Jacob Labonte, Andrew Mau, Riven Patel and Mason Smith.

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Portsmouth put forth a workmanlike effort en route to the district title as its largest margin of victory was four runs. Below are some highlights of Portsmouth’s four district victories.

Game 1

Portsmouth 5 Middletown 1

•June 25 in Middletown

•Tyler Boiani pitched a complete-game, three-hitter and struck out eight.

•Ryan Campion had a double and two runs

•Benn Humm had two singles and two runs

Portsmouth manager Bob Campion gets a water bath after the Portsmouth Major Division all-star team won the District 2 title on Saturday.
Portsmouth manager Bob Campion gets a water bath after the Portsmouth Major Division all-star team won the District 2 title on Saturday.

Game 2

Portsmouth 5 East Providence/Riverside 2

•June 26 in Portsmouth

•Ben Humm hurled a complete game and struck out nine

•Tyler Doucet had a double and single

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•Tyler Boiani stroked two doubles

•Jacob Labonte hit a single

Game 3

Portsmouth 3 Bristol/Warren 2

•July 9 in Portsmouth

•Portsmouth took the field 13 days after it played its last game

•Bristol/Warren jumped to 1-0 lead in first inning on a first-pitch homer.

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•Tyler Boiani stroked a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to give Portsmouth the lead.

•Benn Humm pitched a complete game, five-hitter with seven strikeouts.

Game 4

Portsmouth 8 Bristol/Warren 4

•July 16 in Bristol

•Pitcher Tyler Boiani came within one out of pitching a complete game and struck out six.

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•Kane Brule had a double and three RBIs.

•Mason Smith had a double and two RBIs.

•Ryan Grant contributed a base hit.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Portsmouth Little League all-stars win berth in R.I. tournament