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New York’s top 12-and-under Little League softball teams are stepping closer to a berth in the 2026 Little League Series in August, while the state's top Little League baseball teams battle it out at sectionals in preparation for the state championship in West Nyack, N.Y., next weekend.
Long Island’s Massapequa International Little League 12U softball team secured the state title after defeating Stony Point 5-1 in the New York Little League state softball final at Veterans Memorial Park in St. James, N.Y., this past week.
The victory lands Massapequa International in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, where they will compete for a berth in the Little League Softball World Series against Delaware's Middletown-Odessa-Townsend, Maryland's Delmar, New Jersey's Tom River, Pennsylvania's Minersville, and Washington, D.C.'s Mamie Johnson.
The tournament, slated to run from July 18 to July 23, will be on ESPN+, while playoff coverage will air on ESPN. The Mid-Atlantic championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Thursday on ESPN.
In baseball, District 7's Maine-Endwell and District 6's Horseheads Little League teams were crowned district champions this year, securing their spots in the Section 1 East tournament for the first time since 2023 and 2017, respectively.
Of the four district champions competing in the tournament – Auburn, Horseheads, Maine-Endwell and East Syracuse Minoa – Maine-Endwell (16-1) and East Syracuse Minoa (8-3) emerged as the top two competitors for the sectional title after defeating Horseheads and Auburn in the double-elimination tournament.
Maine-Endwell outlasted East Syracuse Minoa 4-3 to claim the Section 1 East title and continue their dominant postseason run.
In Section 1 West, Penfield dominantly shut down District 2’s Wellsville after two decisive games, beating Wellsville 22-2 in six innings and then 15-5 in five innings, to take its fourth straight Section 1 West title as the first to secure a spot in the state tournament this year.
Results from the state tournament at Germonds Park in West Nyack, N.Y., from July 24 to July 31 will determine the squad that will play in the World Series Metro Regional game against Rhode Island’s state champion on Aug. 8 (4 p.m.).
2026 New York State tournament competitors:
- Section 1 East Champion: Maine-Endwell
- Section 1 West Champion: Penfield
- Section 2 North Champion: TBD
- Section 2 South Champion: Twin Town (West Sand Lake)
- Section 3 North Champion: Florida
- Section 3 South Champion: Mid-Island (Staten Island)
- Section 4 East Champion: St. James/Smithtown
- Section 4 West Champion: Port Washington
This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: NY Little League teams have begun their journey to the 2026 Little League World Series
