Toms River Softball Team Kicks Off Little League World Series Title Quest

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Little League Softball All-Stars opened their trip to the Little League Softball World Series on Sunday with a tough loss.

The 12U all-stars, the first softball team from Toms River to play in the Little League World Series, fell to Japan 4-1 in a rain-disrupted game at Stallings Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina.

Toms River's Analiese Curley opened the game with a single and reached second but Toms River was unable to push a run across. In the bottom of the first inning Japan scored three runs as some apparent nerves caused some uncharacteristic bobbles by the Toms River defense.

After Toms River batted in the second inning, tarps came out to cover the field due to storms in the Greenville area, and the teams had to wait out a rain delay that lasted about two hours.

When they resumed play, Toms River was more settled defensively and turned in some sparkling plays in the field, highlighted by a double play turned by Franki Velardi, who made a diving catch at shortstop then fired to first base to double off Japan's baserunner, who had been headed to second base.

Toms River scored a run in the top of the fourth inning when Jaelyn Brown earned a two-out walk. Velardi came in as a courtesy runner for Brown, the team's pitcher, and scored when Briella Bognar drove a pitch to center field past the outfielders, who were playing in. But Japan got an out to shut down the threat.

Japan added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning, then their pitcher shut down Toms River the rest of the way for the victory.

Toms River next plays on Tuesday at 1 p.m. against the loser of Monday's game between Central Region champion Kentucky and New England champion Connecticut. Both games are scheduled to 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; California, the West 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.

Friends and family had gathered at the Toms River Little League complex on Mapletree Road on Wednesday morning to send the 12 girls and their coaches off for the tournament, complete with an escort of police and fire trucks down Hooper Avenue and out Route 37 to the Manchester border. (See the video below.)

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

The schedule can be found on the Little League World Series website.

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