BRISTOL, CONN. -- Batten down the hatches, Williamsport! The kids from Bridgewater are bringing their hot bats and wide-eyed dreams to Lamade Stadium next week.
The Bridgewater All-Stars punched their first-ever ticket to the Little League World Series with an 8-0 victory over Maine (Gray New Gloucester) in the New England Regional championship game on Thursday, Aug. 13 at Leon J. Breen Field in Bristol.
After winning their second Massachusetts state title in three years, Bridgewater won all three games in the regionals while outscoring Maine, Vermont (Richmond) and Maine again, 26-1. Bridgewater collected 33 hits during the three games, with every batter in their 12-player lineup getting at least one hit.
Bridgewater starting pitcher Dominik Mombeleur, who is nicknamed “The Dominator”, struck out 14 and allowed just two hits in Thursday’s regional final. Mombeleur was also the winning pitcher in a 7-0 win over Maine earlier in the tournament. He was sensational in that one too, pitching 4⅓ no-hit innings while striking out 12 and also crushing a three-run homer.
Mombeleur has blasted eight home runs in district, sectional, state, and regional play.
Bridgewater took a 1-0 lead when Cam Hutchinson drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first. In the second, Trisyn Lee, who reached on a walk, scored on a throwing error and Calvin McGough slapped an RBI single past second base for a 3-0 lead.
More: What's next for Bridgewater Little League? A trip to Williamsport
Bridgewater added three more runs in the third, highlighted by Anthony Sullivan’s two-run triple to the fence in right center field.
Callan Goodwin went 3-for-3 for Bridgewater, including an RBI-triple in the fifth inning that made it 7-0. Jude DeSimone followed Goodwin’s triple with an RBI double in the fifth.
Wes Connick and Beau Amergian had the only hits for Maine. Connick reached on an infield single in the first inning and Amergian led off the sixth with a single.
Zackrison relieved Mombeleur, who reached his pitch count limit in the sixth inning, and got the last three outs.
Bridgewater's winning lineup also included Jackson Morin (centerfield), Luke Schaltz (catcher), JJ Gaff, and Eamon Hynes.
Bridgwater is the 13th Massachusetts team to play in the Little League World Series, which begins on Aug. 19.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Dominik Mombeleur sends Bridgewater Little League to Williamsport