After Lincoln outscored its five opponents 59-4 while rolling to its sixth consecutive District 4 title, manager Lou Abraham was frank in his assessment of his team.

"From a talent standpoint, (we) can go all the way to Williamsport," observed Abraham. "But talent alone doesn't always get you there. We need some breaks and clutch plays. But as far as talent, there is no limit where (we) can go."

Eleven days later, Tom Coulombe provided the clutch pitching, and Eric Pickering delivered an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning as Lincoln edged Cranston Western 1-0 at the Briggs Sports Complex in Cranston. Abraham's assessment of his team's talent was correct: Lincoln went on to win the New England Region tournament, and advanced to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Coulombe and Pickering were two of five returning players from Lincoln's 2000 state championship team, and they helped Lincoln open strongly at the 2001 state tournament with an 11-0 win over East Greenwich. Lincoln had trouble with East Greenwich knuckleballer Jeff Ratigan early before scoring nine runs in the final two innings. Returning all-star Seth LaBossiere keyed a four-run fifth inning with a three-run homer, and added a pair of RBIs in the sixth. Coulombe, Pickering, and Kyle Borden -- another returnee -- combined on a two-hitter for the District 4 champions.

Cranston Western also won their opener, rebounding from an early 1-0 deficit to defeat Portsmouth 4-2. Left-hander James Clarke registered no strikeouts, but threw a four-hitter while his teammates pieced together two-run rallies in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Ted Haley doubled, Clarke walked, and Joe Donahue's one-out single to right tied the game. Clarke then scored when he and Donahue executed a double steal. Clarke and Haley added RBI hits in the third as Cranston extended its lead.

The next day, Lincoln and Cranston met for the eighth time in the last six Rhode Island state tournaments. The two teams -- which have accounted for eleven district titles and all six state titles during that timespan -- were close early before Lincoln again pulled away late in a 9-3 win. Chris Randall, who had been scratched from the starting lineup the previous day due to an upset stomach, returned to strike out seven as Lincoln moved to the state championship game.

The two teams exchanged runs in the first inning. Coulombe laced the game's first pitch for a triple and Kevin Dawber singled on the next pitch to give Lincoln a quick 1-0 lead, but Haley doubled and scored on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the inning to tie the score.

Randall then shut down the Cranston offense, retiring eleven of the next twelve hitters before allowing a leadoff walk in the fifth. By that time, Lincoln had scored six more runs, opening a 7-1 lead that would propel them to the championship game. Lincoln took the lead for good in the third, when Mike Brothers doubled and scored on Coulombe's single. Coulombe later scored on Randall's groundout to push the lead to 3-1. In the fifth, pinch-hitter Jonathan McNaught doubled home Brothers and Coulombe, and LaBossiere later added a two-run single. Randall capped the scoring with a two-run double in the sixth, as Lincoln laced ten hits for the second consecutive day.

Cranston Western managed five hits against Randall, which was one fewer than Lincoln's pitchers had allowed over the course of its six prior tournament games combined.

Cranston rebounded from its loss to edge East Greenwich 3-2 in the loser's bracket finals and earn a rematch with Lincoln. Sean Dolan's homer helped East Greenwich jump to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but Cranston pitcher Drew DiBenedetto's two-run single in the bottom of the inning tied the game. Shortstop Ryan Beique, who started a crucial 6-3-2 double play to kill an East Greenwich threat in the third, then broke the tie with an RBI single to right field in the fourth.

Cranston then faced Lincoln in the title game, which quickly evolved into a duel between pitchers Donahue and Coulombe. Both teams had their chances, but neither could cash in until the sixth, when Borden walked and scored from first on Pickering's two-out double into the left-center field gap to give Lincoln a 1-0 win. Coulombe, who struck out seven, held Cranston to four hits while keeping the District 1 champions off the scoreboard. Cranston loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first inning before Coulombe induced an inning-ending groundout, and also stranded runners in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings. Donahue, who allowed only three hits, escaped a jam in the second when center fielder Dan Lovejoy made a diving catch of Brothers' line drive with two on and two outs. In the fifth, Coulombe tripled to right field with two outs before Donahue ended the inning.

Lincoln's win gave the league its third consecutive state title, matching a streak achieved by Cranston Western from 1996-1998. Abraham recognized the pedigree of his team's title game opponent.

"We beat an outstanding team tonight," said Abraham. "Cranston Western is probably better than some of the teams we will be facing in the regionals, (and) we went into this tonight assuming we had no margin for error. It was the type of game you would expect when Lincoln and Cranston Western hook up."

"I think our kids have a legitimate chance to take the next step," observed Lincoln's manager. Two weeks later, Lincoln justified Abraham's faith by defeating South Burlington (Vermont) 6-3 in the New England Region tournament championship game to qualify for the Little League World Series.