The best-of-three state championship series opens Monday at 5:30 p.m. in West Haven's Morse Park. The winner advances to Little League's Eastern Regional Senior League Softball Tournament, which will also be held in West Haven.

Steph Montowski and Lauren Botteon combined on a three-hitter in Sunday's game to ensure their team would move on. Amanda Rios, Botteon and Jackie Mills had two hits each to pace the offense.

Bristol trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, but scored seven runs in that frame to break the game open.

Junior team wins state championship Game 1: The Bristol Junior League softball team (ages 13-14) won 6-5 over Simsbury in the first game of the best-of-three state championship series Sunday in Orange.

Bristol clinched the series opener on an unusual play in the top of the seventh inning.

Samantha Gourneault led off with a walk and stole second base. Amanda McPhee then hit a fly ball to right field and Gourneault tagged up and went to third. Simsbury then appealed at second base for Gourneault leaving early, and as the pitcher throw the ball to second Grouneault broke for home and scored the winning run on a close play at the plate.

Bristol responded in the third when Sara Krolikowski led off with a single, moved to second on a single by Gournealt and McPhee loaded the bases with a single. Audrey Boutin then reached on an error, scoring Krolikowski with one out. Heather Magnoli singled to score Goureault and McPhee.

Bristol scored two more in the top half of the fifth inning when Gourneault walked, stole second and scored on a Boutin single. Boutin, after moving to third on a bad throw back to the pitcher that rolled away from her, scored on a fly out by Kelly Owsianko.

Boutin pitched four innings, allowing two runs on five hits, one walk and nine strikeouts. Sara Bianchi pitched three innings, allowing three runs on three hits and one strikeout.

Bristol will play Simsbury again tonight at 7:30 at Orange's Old Tavern Road Recreation Facility.