Canton Little League advances to New England championship behind Andrew Sullivan's gem

Canton Little League was handed its first loss of the postseason on Monday.

But the team's time at New England Regionals is not done yet. On Wednesday, Canton bounced back with a 5-0 win over New Hampshire (Salem) to advance to the New England championship.

The tournament is being held in Bristol, Connecticut.

As we have for both of Canton's regional tilts, we had live updates throughout Wednesday's win. Scroll below to read about how Canton's victory played out. The team used small ball, hustle and flawless defense to help Andrew Sullivan toss a shutout gem.

What's next?

Canton advances to the New England championship on Thursday at 7 p.m. (ESPN) against Maine. That game is a winner-take-all game with the victor moving on to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Those teams met on Monday with Maine (Gray) winning 7-1. That was Canton's first postseason loss this summer.

Both teams will their aces ready to pitch in the final. Canton's Nathan Chabot fired a one-hitter with 15 strikeouts on Saturday. Maine's Kayden Oliver allowed one hit over 6 ⅓ innings in Saturday's win over New Hampshire. He struck out 10 while walking two as Maine won 3-0 in seven innings.

Game balls

Andrew Sullivan: Sullivan tossed a two-hit shutout to earn the win on the mound for Canton. He walked three batters and kept New Hampshire off the scoreboard.

Canton's defense: Canton did not commit an error in the win and played solid defense behind Sullivan. Infielders Michael Camerano (third), Sam Archibald (shortstop), Mikey Zollo (second) and Miles Mettlach (first) were especially solid. Catcher Will Casey has been a stalwart behind the plate.

Cam Lyons: The last hitter in Canton's lineup went 2-for-2 with two steals

Final: Canton 5, New Hampshire 0

Andrew Sullivan tosses a gem with the help of error-less defense behind him. Offensively, Canton's received contributions throughout the order to advance to the New England championship.

Heading into the bottom of sixth inning: Canton 5, New Hampshire 0

Cam Lyons improves to 2-for-2 with a single. After a flyout, Lyons steals second. With two outs, Lyons advances to third base on a wild pitch. He gets stranded at third base as New Hampshire ends the frame with a strikeout.

After five innings: Canton 5, New Hampshire 0

New Hampshire puts two runners on base but Canton pitcher Andrew Sullivan gets out of the jam with a groundout to shortstop Sam Archibald.

Heading to the bottom of the fifth inning: Canton 5, New Hampshire 0

Mikey Zollo walks and then advances two bases on two wild pitchers. Ryan Roberts with an RBI single down the left-field line to bring in Zollo and put Canton up 5-0. New Hampshire Rown Briggs comes out of the game after reaching the pitch count and a solid start. Nico Cardinale comes on in relief and strands a runner on second.

After four innings: Canton 4, New Hampshire 0

Third baseman Michael Camerano with a smart play on a bunt. The bunt goes right down the line, he lets it go and then dives to touch the ball with it in foul territory to make it a dead ball. That sets up pitcher Andrew Sullivan to pick up his sixth strikeout of the day for the first out f the inning. Sullivan works a 1-2-3 inning.

Heading to the bottom of the fourth inning: Canton 4, New Hampshire 0

Owen Collins sends a hit into deep center field and his hustle out of the box allows him to leg out a two-out triple. He's 5-for-7 at regionals with three RBIs. Will Casey sends an RBI single up the middle to plate Collins. Small ball and hustle has been at the heart of all of Canton's offense.

After three innings: Canton 3, New Hampshire

Cam Lyons gets a one-out single for Canton in the top half of the inning. He steals second base. Lyons advances to third with two outs on a Patrick Furbush groundout. New Hampshire pitcher Rowan Briggs gets his sixth strikeout of the day to strand Lyons on third.

Canton pitcher Andrew Sullivan, who has allowed one hit and one walk, strikes out the side in the bottom half of the inning.

After two innings: Canton 3, New Hampshire 0

New Hampshire gets a leadoff single and advances on a sacrifice bunt. Pitcher Andrew Sullivan gets two groundouts himself. Sullivan strands a runner at third base by getting a groundout to second baseman Mikey Zollo.

Heading to the bottom of the second inning: Canton 3, New Hampshire 0

Owen Collins keeps his hot streak going. He laces a single into left field to lead off the second inning, making him 3-for-4 in the tournament. Will Casey drops a bunt down perfectly and ends up with a single. Sam Archibald rips a two-strike single up the middle to load the bases. New Hampshire gets a force out at the plate to keep Canton off the board. Will Casey, after initially hesitating, scores on a wild pitch. Mikey Zollo, with runners on second and third, drops down a perfect sacrifice bunt to plate Archibald. Zollo, smartly, takes second base as the play unfolds. On a wild pitch, New Hampshire tags a runner out at home, but a throw to third base sails, allowing Zollo to score.

After one inning: Canton 0, New Hampshire 0

Andrew Sullivan gets the start on the hill for Canton. He shows he's more than a power hitter, he's a power pitcher too. He strikes out the first Salem batter. Third baseman Michael Camerano made a nice defensive play on a grounder to his left for the second out. Sullivan works around a two-out walk and ends the frame with a strikeout looking.

Heading to the bottom of the first inning: Canton 0, New Hampshire 0

Patrick Furbush laces a single between the first and second baseman on the first pitch of the day. He's 5-for-6 at regionals so far. New Hampshire pitcher Rowan Briggs, who wears golf cleats instead of baseball cleats, gets three strikeouts to strand Furbush.

More: Canton Little League loses to Maine in New England Regionals, will play in semis Wednesday

Play ball!

Canton and New Hampshire are on the field and the game is about to get underway. Stick here for updates throughout the game.

How to watch Canton vs. New Hampshire

Canton and New Hampshire will play at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 1 p.m. following the Midwest Regional finals between South Dakota and North Dakota.

What's on the line?

The season.

The winner advances to tomorrow's New England championship with a spot in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on the line. The losing team is eliminated from the tournament.

Starting lineups

Reminder: Everyone on the team bats in Little League.

Canton (Visitors)

9 Patrick Furbush Extra Hitter

97 Brendan Ryan Left Field

99 Andrew Sullivan Pitcher

15 Nathan Chabot Extra Hitter

4 Owen Collins Right Field

5 Will Casey Catcher

22 Sam Archibald Shortstop

27 Miles Mettlach First Base

19 Mikey Zollo Second Base

11 Ryan Roberts Extra Hitter

10 Michael Camerano Third Base

12 Declan Kelliher Extra Hitter

18 Cam Lyons Center Field

New Hampshire (Home)

0 Acen Torrens White Right Field

10 Rowan Briggs Pitcher

8 Brayden Castillo Catcher

9 Nico Cardinale Third Base

17 Mason Wiles Left Field

24 Matty Barry First Base

28 Nate Makiej Extra Hitter

11 Jack Quinn Center Field

27 Brandan Pelletier Shortstop

9 Gavin Griffin Extra Hitter

45 Caden Scanlon Extra Hitter

3 Travis Schaufenbil Second Base

12 Nolan Baillargeon Extra Hitter

How they got here

Canton won the Section 3 title and followed that up by winning the Massachusetts state title for the first time in program history. Canton opened New England Regionals in style with a 12-0 win over Vermont as Nathan Chabot struck out 15 batters in a one-hitter. Canton took its first postseason loss of the summer on Monday, falling to Maine 7-1.

New Hampshire dropped its first game at regionals to Maine, 3-0, but bounced back to defeat Vermont, 12-1, in an elimination game on Sunday.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Canton Little League advances to New England championship