Magical season ends at regionals for U10 softball

(Front l-r) Callista Doherty, Ryleigh Singleton, Lennon Mettlach, Hadley Tompkins, Tilly Roache, Gabby Holtzman, Mila Yu, Penny Stuart, Ella Thang, Caitlin Yandek, Elle Weber, Charlotte Staples; (back l-r) coaches Sean Singleton and Megan Tinl and manager Bryan Weber

A memorable and historic summer season came to a close for the Canton U10 girls softball team this week as they were eliminated from contention at the East Region 8-10 Year-Old tournament in Staten Island, New York.

The first Canton Little League softball team in its age group to win a Massachusetts state title, the team fought valiantly against other state champs from across New England before bowing out in the play-in round with a 1-0 loss to Green Mountain LL of Vermont.

During pool play, the Canton girls opened with games against two juggernauts — Milford, Connecticut, and Gorham, Maine, who both entered yesterday’s New England semifinal undefeated after surrendering just five runs combined over six games. Canton also squared off against the Rhode Island state champs (Lincoln LL) on Monday of this week, losing 7-2.

Despite going winless at the tournament, team manager Bryan Weber said it was an “incredible” experience for the players, coaches and families.

“Great Kills Little League has done an amazing job hosting this tournament,” he said. “This was the first year in Canton Little League history that we have won the 10U softball state championship and it has been an honor and a privilege to represent Massachusetts. The competition has been tough, which was expected, but our girls battled every game and really enjoyed the experience.”

Weber preached positivity right up until the final out, reminding the girls to “trust in themselves and in each other; play the game they know how to play and leave it all on the field; and most importantly, have fun.”

“They worked so hard all summer to get to this moment,” he said prior to Tuesday’s game against Vermont. “No matter what happens at regionals, they are state champions and I am extremely proud of every single one of them.”

During the Mass. state tournament, the girls’ resilience was tested, as they fell 4-3 to Jessie Burkett LL of Worcester in the tournament opener. But they kept their composure and proceeded to win out from there, culminating with a 4-3, extra-innings win over the same Jessie Burkett team that had bested them one week earlier.

The team was led by ace pitcher Mila Yu, who pitched every inning of the state tournament and tossed another gem in the title game, finishing with 13 strikeouts.

At the plate, several players came through with big hits, including Gabby Holtzman, Charlotte Staples, Caitlin Yandek, and Elle Weber, who had the game-winning hit in the championship game. Also making their mark throughout the season were Lennon Mettlach, Ryleigh Singleton, Hadley Tompkins, Ella Thang, Callista Doherty, Tilly Roache and Penny Stuart.

Incredibly, the U10 club wasn’t the only Canton softball team to advance to regionals this year. The U12 team, coached by Brendan Ryan, Pat Murphy and Neal Quersher, also captured the Mass. state title and competed at the New England Regional Championships in Bristol, Connecticut, where they were eliminated in two games following losses to the Rhode Island and Connecticut state champs.

Team members on the U12 roster included Savannah Le, Giuliana Lombardi, Alana Lowney, Hailey Melnick Brynn Murphy, Claire Northon, Scarlet Penders, Haley Quersher, Elise Rogers, Alayna Ryan and Leah Thang.

While they both fell short of their ultimate goal, this year’s U10 and U12 squads are just the third and fourth softball teams in the history of Canton Little League to advance to the regional level, joining the 2022 12U and 2023 Junior League teams.

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