Waterford — For six innings Tuesday, Waterford went down quietly at the plate.

Waterford, to that point, managed only one harmless hit in the District 10 Little League softball tournament championship series game.

It saved all its noise for the extra inning.

Anna Donahue led off the seventh with a double and scored on Anna Dziecinny's one-out double. A wild pitch plated another run.

Waterford swept the best-of-three series with a 2-0 shutout of Groton/Mystic at Rotary Field and will host the sectionals starting on July 6.

It was a far more competitive game than Monday's 12-2 mercy rule win in five innings.

"They hadn't been fully challenged and this team was ready to challenge," Waterford manager Becky Hall said. "Groton/Mystic was definitely hungry to win and we weren't as hungry to start. So we acquired our hunger when we knew we could lose it.

"At some point, they definitely picked it up and got hungry for the win."

A huge rally-killing defensive play brought Waterford to life.

With runners on first and third with one out in the fourth, Waterford turned a sparkling double play.

Donahue charged in from third base to field Sophie Ash's bunt and fired to first for an out. First baseman Milena Walker alertly threw home when Grace Jenkins, who was on third, broke for the plate. Catcher Anna Bonelli applied the tag to the sliding runner.

"We got a little bit of momentum with that defensive play," Hall said.

Groton/Mystic manager Shawn Cabral had a brief discussion with the home plate umpire about the call.

"We felt as though the play at home, (Jenkins) was safe," Cabral said. "I think she got under the tag. But it's not my call."

Groton/Mystic's Charlotte Cabral pitched a gem while going the distance. She allowed only Donahue's fourth-inning single until the seventh.

"She actually had a game plan for a lot of the batters," Shawn Cabral said. "She executed it perfectly. At that age, that's hard to do."

It was no surprise that Donahue, who had two of her team's three hits, sparked the winning rally. She drilled a shot to the right-centerfield gap and hustled into second base with a stand-up double. One out later, Dziecinny lifted a double down the right field line that easily scored Donahue.

"Anna Donahue has been such a strong hitter throughout the tournament," Hall said. "Her coming through with that hit and getting a runner in scoring position right off, that was huge for us. That catapulted them."

Dziecinny finished off Groton/Mystic in the bottom of the seventh, recording two strikeouts and a groundout. She relieved starter Maddie Burrows to start the fourth and earned the win. The pair combined on a two-hitter. Jenkins had two singles.

Posing with the District 10 Little League softball championship banner is certainly nothing new to Waterford.

That history of success drives each team to chase titles.

"It helps them because we have a tradition of winning," Hall said. "So when we play, we play to win. We groom these kids all season long to win. So their expectation is to win, there's no question in their minds.

"Confidence can sometimes make us sleepy. Up until today's game, we really haven't had that. We've been really quick on the bats and hitting the ball hard all through the tournament."

Groton/Mystic, which had only three 12-year-olds on the roster, walked away with a sense of accomplishment.

"We are a young team," Shawn Cabral said. "Our plan this year was, if we made it to the semifinals, we met expectations. If we made it to the finals, we've exceeded expectations. Then it was, show everyone what we can do. I think we ended on a high note, which is what we wanted to do."

g.keefe@theday.com