TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Little League Softball All-Stars begin their quest to win the Little League Softball World Series on Sunday.
Friends and family gathered at the Toms River Little League complex on Mapletree Road on Wednesday morning for a last round of hugs before sending the 12 girls and their coaches off for the tournament at Stallings Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.
Toms River's all-stars won the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship to earn their place in North Carolina, and is the first softball team from Toms River to earn a berth in the Little League Softball World Series. Read more: NJ Little League Softball Team World Series-Bound
After hugs were had and softball gear and suitcases were loaded up, the girls received a police and fire escort as they headed out. (See the video below.)
The team plays its first game at 1 p.m. against the team from Japan, the Asia-Pacific Regional. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The World Series is a double-elimination tournament with 12 teams including Toms River, which is in the Orange bracket. In addition to Japan, that bracket includes Kentucky, the Central Region champion; Connecticut, the New England champion; Live Oaks, California, the California champion; and Puerto Rico, the Latin America champion.
The Purple bracket includes Canada Region champion Quebec; Italy, the Europe and Africa Region champion; Clayton, North Carolina, representing North Carolina; Washington, representing the Northwest; Florida, the Southeast Region champion, and Texas, the Southwest Region champion.
The schedule can be found on the Little League World Series website.
If Toms River wins Sunday, they move on to play Puerto Rico on Monday.
For those planning to watch the team's games in the Little League World Series, here is the roster, with the girls' uniform numbers:
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
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