There was a moment after the Walpole American 12-year-old All-Stars’ 4-1 victory last night when manager Brian Oberacker sensed the enormity of what his charges had accomplished.
‘‘I just can’t believe it,’’ he said.
Believe it.
Following their win over Portsmouth, N.H., in the New England Region Little League Tournament, the Americans are one win away from making a trip to Williamsport, Pa., and the Little League World Series. All they need to do is beat Connecticut’s Shelton National team tomorrow at 2 p.m. to become New England champions.
But regardless of the outcome, that game will be a step onto a big stage, as ESPN will televise the New England final at the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Complex’s Breen Field.
‘‘I just hope we can play the same way we usually do and not get nervous,’’ said Walpole’s Sam Falkson, who earned the complete-game win last night with just four hits allowed and six strikeouts.
‘‘I can’t even explain it,’’ Oberacker said of what this summer has been like. ‘‘We have so much fun as a team. The coaches and the kids, it’s like we have a group of 17 friends here. It’s been a crazy ride but a fun ride. We’re looking forward to Saturday playing on ESPN.’’
That last sentence was the one that left him suspended in disbelief. One of his players expressed the same sentiment.
‘‘It’s pretty unbelievable,’’ said Walpole’s Brian Wolpe, whose leadoff double in the top of the fourth helped spark a rally that gave the locals the lead for good. ‘‘I never really thought we could make it this far.’’
But here they are. And with them are more fans from Walpole than were in Bristol for the pool play games, as last night’s game was the biggest turnout the Americans had seen yet.
‘‘If you’re not here watching them play, you’re missing out on something special,’’ said Walpole High Athletic Director Danny Villa, who was in the left field stands to watch last night’s action.
‘‘Especially because they’re only 12 years old. We kind of expect high school kids to perform like that. But when kids that age perform that well, you need to come out and support them.’’
Sean McDermott, the ace of the high school team who is set to start his pitching career at Virginia Tech later in the month, was also on hand.
‘‘It’s great for the town, great for the program,’’ said McDermott. ‘‘What they’re doing shows why Walpole’s always had a strong baseball program.’’
For Villa, the run by the Americans only bolsters a strong athletic reputation for Walpole.
‘‘I think they’ve put a stamp that Walpole is a very sports-oriented town. The kids work hard. They’re not usually the biggest kids as you see but they don’t really care. They know how to play baseball, they know how to play their sports,’’ he said. ‘‘I think it just puts us back on the map, youth sports-wise. It shows young kids that if you have those dreams then you sometimes can reach them if you work at it.’’
And while the team has had to stay in Bristol, Villa reports the interest back home is palpable.
‘‘It’s very interesting because I was at the youth football practice yesterday and the buzz was, ‘What’s the score? What’s the score?’ Everybody was doing their thing but in the back of their head they were thinking, ‘How are they doing down there?’ ‘’ Villa said before the game. ‘‘So I think the buzz was there. I think it’s still going to be there. I think the town, whether these kids lose or win tonight, are going to open their arms to these kids and say, ‘Thank you’ for the run they’ve given everybody, not just themselves. The whole town has really enjoyed this.’’
That may be the only thing the Americans have missed out on, as Oberacker reports his team’s existence in Bristol has been sheltered.
‘‘That’s the thing, when you’re out in Bristol, you can’t go anywhere. We can’t even get a cup of coffee in the morning. We feel like we’re on an island out here,’’ he said. ‘‘All we can do is receive phone calls from family and friends. They’ve been nothing but very supportive. Today, you saw thousands of people here supporting us. It’s pretty special.’’
And as Oberacker said after his team lost to Portsmouth on Wednesday night, the ride isn’t over. ‘‘Our team’s gone really far, and I think we can go even farther,’’ said Joey Guarino, who knocked in the game-winning run in the fourth inning last night.
And when he said that, it was hard not to believe him.
