Burrillville was the host of the 2025 RI Little League State Tournament and home-field advantage didn't hurt the hosts against Coventry Saturday.
BURRILLVILLE - A wait more than five decades in the making ended Saturday night.
Burrillville is finally back on top of the state’s Little League baseball mountain, celebrating in style on its home diamond at Peck Park on July 26.
Jace Detonnancourt fired a two-hit shutout on just 69 pitches and Owen Brown offered all the support necessary with an early two-run homer. Their combined efforts helped spark the District 4 champions to a 6-0 victory over Coventry, which was attempting to complete a week-long rally out of the elimination bracket.
Brown was tagged with a tough 1-0 loss on the mound Friday night but turned the page quickly on a perfect summer evening. His blast to left-center field in the bottom of the first inning put the District 3 champions on the ropes, and four insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth served as the knockout. That was more than enough cushion for Detonnancourt, who allowed just two men to advance past first base and struck out 10.
“We knew we had a strong team at the start of the season,” Brown said. “We just kept going and kept pushing.”
“I’ve known all these kids since I was 4,” Detonnancourt said. “It’s really good to experience it with all my best friends.”
Coventry right-hander Jackson Masciarotte fired a shutout of his own to deny Burrillville in its first chance to clinch the title. The next morning brought extra batting practice at 9 a.m. and a quick reminder of how Burrillville had arrived at this point for the first time since 1972. Detonnancourt reached on a fielder’s choice and Brown crushed a drive that cleared the 200-foot fence with plenty to spare, making it 2-0.
“I’ve had four this season – it felt good,” Brown said. “It was for my team. It wasn’t for me personally.”
Coventry left a man at third in the top of the first and generated more traffic on the bases in the top of the third. Travis Bell’s infield single to third put men at the corners with two outs and turned the lineup back to the top. Adam Dugas stung a one-hop liner back up the middle, but Burrillville second baseman Cole Henault made a nice stop on the backhand and ended the threat with a strong throw to first.
“I locked in after that,” Detonnancourt said. “I knew if I walked a bunch of people they were probably going to get base hits. This team, Coventry – they have a lot of good bats.”
Detonnancourt retired nine of the last 10 men he faced, with the right-hander buying his offense some time to add on. Three straight singles to open the fourth made it 3-0, with Jaxson Constantineau driving in a run on a liner into right. Wyatt Taylor’s sacrifice fly to center and Joey Switzer’s infield single to third brought in another pair, and Detonnancourt suddenly had breathing room.
“We had our ace pitching,” Brown said. “We were definitely better on the bats today.”
Coventry was bidding for its first title since 2018 and nearly did it the hard way, eliminating Rumford and North Providence before pushing Burrillville to the brink. The hosts had won nine straight games in district and state tournament play before the setback on Friday. Now they’ll travel to Connecticut for a Metro Region opener against the New York state champion on Saturday at 7 p.m.
“It’s going to be a different experience,” Brown said. “We’re going to face better pitching, better hitting. We’re going to have to be really tight on defense and offense.”
Coventry 000 000 – 0 2 1
Burrillville 200 40x – 6 8 1
Aiden Doyle, Jonny Hynes (3), Alex McCarthy (4) and Camden Riley. Jace Detonnancourt and Owen Brown. HR – Brown (B).
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Who won the 2025 Rhode Island Little League State Championship game
Category: General Sports
