Toms River 12U Softball Team Advances to World Series

World Series Bound: Toms River Little League 12U Captures Mid-Atlantic Title

Toms River 12U Softball Team Advances to World Series

The Toms River Little League 12U softball team has earned a trip to the Little League Softball World Series after capturing the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship.

Toms River secured its place in the World Series with a 5-3 win over Pennsylvania's state champions during the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.

The Little League Softball World Series gets underway on Aug. 2 in Greenville, North Carolina. Toms River will open tournament play against the Asia-Pacific Region champions at 1 p.m. on Aug. 2. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

Toms River captured the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship by avenging an earlier loss to Pennsylvania, which had sent the team into the elimination bracket on July 21. Before reaching the title game, Toms River earned wins over Washington, D.C., and Delaware, then defeated New York to advance to the championship.

In the deciding game, Toms River overcame a 1-0 deficit. The team tied the score in the fifth inning after Aviana Gay singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice fly by Jaelyn Brown. Gay later crossed the plate when Pennsylvania misplayed a pop fly off the bat of Carly Leonard, according to the GameChanger scoring report.

In the top of the sixth inning, Toms River broke the game open by scoring four runs to build a 5-1 advantage. Sophia Tolentino reached base after being hit by a pitch, and Franki Velardi followed with a single to move Tolentino into scoring position. Leiana Gay’s bunt loaded the bases for Mischa Koeppen, whose ground ball was mishandled by Pennsylvania, allowing Tolentino to score. Gia Gatto then delivered an RBI single to bring home Velardi, while Shaelyn Seaman followed with a double that scored Leiana Gay and Koeppen before Pennsylvania finally escaped the inning.

Pennsylvania attempted a comeback in the bottom of the sixth, but Toms River recorded the first two outs quickly. The defense retired the first batter at first base following a dropped third strike, and pitcher Jaelyn Brown forced a fly ball to center field that was caught by Koeppen. Pennsylvania then pushed across two runs after a Toms River error and two hard-hit singles to center field. However, Brown closed out the game by fielding a ground ball and throwing to first baseman Juliana Florek-Doslik for the final out, securing the championship victory.

A video recap of the championship game is available on the Little League Softball World Series website.

The Toms River Little League also celebrated the team’s Mid-Atlantic Championship victory with a special post shared on its Facebook page.

It was not immediately announced when the Toms River team would travel to North Carolina, as there is still more than a week before the start of the Little League Softball World Series. Toms River will compete in the Orange Bracket. Unlike the Little League Baseball World Series, where regional champions typically head directly to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, after securing their regional titles, softball teams have a longer wait before arriving at the World Series.

The team has also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover travel expenses, meals, and other costs associated with their World Series journey. The players and families began fundraising while competing in the regional tournament in Connecticut. Supporters who would like to contribute can donate through the campaign.

Fans planning to follow Toms River’s run in the Little League Softball World Series can find the team roster below, including each player’s jersey number:

1 — Jaelyn Brown
2 — Aviana Gay
5 — Leiana Gay
6 — Briella Bognar
7 — Carly Leonard
8 — Sophia Tolentino
11 — Mischa Koeppen
12 — Franki Velardi
14 — Juliana Florek-Doslik
18 — Analeise Curley
25 — Gia Gatto
32 — Shaelyn Seaman