New Jersey team one win away from heading to Little League World Series

CONNECTICUT (WABC) -- Little Leaguers from Bayonne, New Jersey and Darien, Connecticut, are competing Friday night for the chance to compete in the Little League World Series.

Both teams held their send-offs Friday afternoon.

In the shadow of the Bayonne Bridge, steps away from what's now a celebrated baseball field, more than 150 people board three packed buses to make their way to the Little League Metro Region finals in Bristol, Connecticut.

These are fans of the Bayonne Central all-star Little Leaguers, a team of 11 to 12-year-olds who are now one game away from the Little League World Series.

"I just think they're going to play their heart out. I think they're just going to walk in confident and they're just going to play the best they can," Bella Masciale said.

Bayonne's run has already been historic as the city's first team to ever win the New Jersey State Championship.

They already beat the powerhouse Darien, Connecticut team last Saturday, and now face Darien again in the double-elimination tournament.

The winner Friday goes to the league world series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. 10 U.S. teams and ten international teams will be battling for the title.

"I think any time a community has something good, you know, it's something to be proud of. And, you know, and this is what sports is about, right? For our kids. And this is why we have all these different leagues. It's to give kids something to do. They should give them a sense of pride," Bayonne Mayor Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski said.

The president of the league says this special team is a mixture of talent, work ethic and friendship.

"You get these kids together, and when you see a special group at eight, nine, ten, you do everything you can to try to keep them together. And this, this team bonded at a young age, and they wanted to do this together as a team," Roger Malone said.

"There's nothing better than this feeling, knowing that all my friends are going to win, and then they're going to come back to school and they could just show everyone, and it just showcases their talent," fan Makayla Hoi said.

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