The Canton Bulldogs look to advance to the Little League World Series and need to top the only team that beat them in order to do so.
The winner of the matchup between Canton, Mass. and Gray, Maine on Thursday in Bristol, Conn. will punch its ticket to Williamsport, Conn.
The teams met Monday, where Maine handed Massachusetts its first loss of the summer in a 7-1 victory. Maine’s Mason Amergian helped his team on both sides of the field, pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up just one run while blasting a grand slam in the third inning to help extend their lead.
Canton bested Salem, N.H., 5-0, on Wednesday to advance to the New England Region title game. Pitcher Andrew Sullivan threw a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits.
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Another Canton pitcher, Nathan Chabot, also threw a complete game shutout in last Saturday’s 12-0 win over Vermont. Chabot recorded 15 strikeouts and allowed just one hit, and Canton is looking for another dominant performance from the young ace as he is set to pitch Thursday.
Massachusetts and Maine will meet again for a winner-take-all matchup with first pitch set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The winner will represent New England in the Little League World Series.
Featured image via Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise via USA TODAY NETWORK Images
