Barrington got its energy boost. Now it's one win from a Little League title.

CRANSTON – In the dugout, Andrew Knychalski was a madman. He screamed the way 12-year old boys tend to do, trying to get energy up as the offense was at bat.

On the field and at the plate, Knychalski barely had a pulse. He was calm, cool and collected, making plays with his glove and bat at the most opportune time.

The boost of energy, offense and defense was huge for Barrington and with Matthew Montecalvo and Zak Oppler getting the job done on the mound, the 5-1 win over Lincoln puts them one win away from claiming the 2026 Rhode Island Little League 11-12 State Championship.

“I don’t know what was going on,” Knychalski said. “I usually don’t do that. I was trying to get the team hyped up and I knew I had to stay composed out there to keep the team going.”

“Our team chemistry has been through the roof,” Oppler said. “When we know we need to lock in and just buckle down on one play or two plays, then we know we can do it.”

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With the game tied at 1 in the third, Knychalski’s dugout antics begun as he riled his teammates up with chants that had him red-faced from his screams. Barrington responded, with Rocco Coppolino earning a leadoff walk, Max Colantonio hitting a single and Noah Robbins hitting another to load the bases with two outs.

Knychalski was locked in as he strolled up to the plate. His focused switched from cheerleader to batter quickly and he putting a ball in play to right that led to two runs and a 3-1 lead.

“I was in the dugout like ‘oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,'” Knychalski said. “I came up, heard my name called, hear everyone cheering and was in the mentality of ‘let’s go, let’s get a hit, you’re in a big spot.'”

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It was 4-1 in the fifth when Lincoln tried to get a rally going, with Jackson Lockhart leading off the inning with a single. Oppler – who came on in relief in the third – showed faith in his defense by pounding the strike zone and Knychalski showed why he could pitch with that confidence.

Lincoln’s John Rattigan put good metal on a bouncing ball up the middle, but Knychalski fielded it cleanly and used momentum to step on second before throwing a strike for a double play that had the Barrington infield celebrating.

Plays like that go a long way in winning ballgames. Montecalvo and Oppler were both effective in their appearances because they threw strikes. They each walked a batter – Oppler also hit a few – but weren’t afraid to challenge batters because they knew their teammates were ready to make plays.

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Montecalvo’s outing was cut short due to pitch limitations and Barrington’s coaching staff wanting to have him ready in case they lost Sunday and had to play Tuesday. Montecalvo gave up four hits and one run in his 2 1/3 before Oppler closed the door with 3 2/3 inning of two-hit ball, striking out five.

“We’ve been together since we were like seven,” Knychalski said. “We just all know each other and they know if they throw strikes, we’re going to make plays.”

“It’s just focus on the catcher,” Oppler said. “Just focus on our fans, our dugout, just keep calm and don’t look at the other dugout.

“Just hit your spots. If we throw strikes and they hit it, then we have the defense to back us up.”

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After the final out, Barrington celebrated and with good reason. The win means it needs one more win to earn a trip to Bristol, Conn., to play in the regional tournament. Barrington will find out its opponent on Tuesday when Lincoln plays Cranston Western with the final set for Wednesday night.

While Barrington feels confident, the players know they have to be ready for the highs and lows the game will bring – and after Sunday, it seems they’re more than ready for the challenge.

“It feels like we’re already there, but you have to stay in there,” Knychalski said. “We know we still have a hard team to beat.”

“We are in the best position we can be in,” Oppler said. “But there’s no resting until we get to regionals.”