The Barrington Little League 10U All-Star baseball team came up just short of winning the District II Championship on Friday night. Barrington dropped the final game of the district tournament, 7-6 to a strong Portsmouth team. Barrington forced a final game in the double-elimination tournament with a 3-1 win on Thursday in Portsmouth.

• Thursday, Game One - Barrington 3, Portsmouth 1

Lena Armstrong led Barrington on Thursday night, pitching 5 and one-third innings in relief, giving up one run and three hits. Sam Donatelli got Barrington on the board in the top of the second inning with a bunt single that drove Terry Nickell in to score. Grant Garneau scored the ultimate winning run in the top of the fourth on an RBI sacrifice by Jack Harding. Catcher Reid Raia shut down Portsmouth’s running game and threw two runners out on the basepaths.

The win in Portsmouth forced a second game in the championship series on Friday night at Sherwood Field in Barrington, the third game between these two teams this week.

• Friday, Game Two - Portsmouth 7, Barrington 6

Portsmouth jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but Barrington bounced back quickly, scoring five in the bottom half of the inning. Hudson Lang doubled and came around to score on Raia’s double to centerfield. Will Glass doubled later in the inning, scoring Raia and Grant Garneau. 

Portsmouth took the lead in the top of the fifth inning on a tough-luck wild pitch that bounced off the umpire. Harding took the mound in the sixth and pitched a clean inning to build excitement for a potential walk-off win in the bottom half of the inning. Garneau hit a one-out double to the right-center fence, and Harding legged out an infield hit, putting pressure on the Portsmouth defense.

With two outs, Glass drilled the ball into left field, but the Portsmouth outfielder made the catch and ended Barrington’s rally. 

•Tuesday - Barrington 8, Bristol Warren 7

The Barrington Little League 10U All Star baseball team battled back from a four-run deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat Bristol Warren 8-7 and advance to the District II Championship series against Portsmouth. 

Barrington trailed 7-3 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Jack McWilliams got the last-inning rally started for Barrington with a double down the right-field line. Armstrong got the walk-off hit when she drove an 0-0 pitch into the left-center gap, scoring Garneau and Lang.

Raia was the starting pitcher for Barrington — he threw four innings, giving up four runs (one earned) and four hits. Glass and Lang each pitched an inning in relief, with Lang earning the win. 

Tommy Grossman walked twice and scored a run. Nickell caught all six innings.