One had to think that if the Walpole American 12-year-old All-Star baseball team was to lose a game at the New England Region Little League Tournament, it would not come easily.
Four times the Americans were down to their last strike in last night's game against Portsmouth (N.H.), and four times they stayed alive to force the game into an eighth inning.
Eventually, Walpole American succumbed in an 8-7 defeat to last year's regional champion in the final pool play contest for each team, as the Americans fell to 17-1 on the summer and 3-1 in Bristol, while Portsmouth improved to 12-1 and 3-1.
The teams, who had already each clinched a spot in the semifinals before last night, meet up again in a win-or-go-home battle back at the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League complex's Breen Field tonight (5 p.m.), with Walpole the No. 3 seed and Portsmouth No. 2. No. 1 Shelton National (Conn.) and No. 4 Portland North meet afterward before Saturday's final (2 p.m.).
"This is Little League baseball; the game is never over," said Walpole American manager Brian Oberacker. "We had three outs in the bottom of the seventh inning there, we scored four runs with two outs in that inning. The kids, you've got to give credit to those kids. They never give up. We've got to bounce right back and come out here and play these guys again tomorrow."
Down 2-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Americans rallied to take the lead as Tim Sullivan and Matt Bender led off the inning with back-to-back doubles to tie the score. After two outs, Portsmouth went to reliever Connor McCauley and Mike LaVita greeted him with a single to left to score Bender and give his team a brief, 3-2 lead.
It lasted only a few pitches because Portsmouth's McKenzie Allen sent a 2-2 pitch over the fence in right to tie the score, but pitcher Johnny Adams struck out two batters to end the inning.
After a scoreless bottom half, Portsmouth erupted for four runs in the top of the seventh, as two walks, one intentional pass and a illegal pitch on a full count sparked the rally. Kurtis Leonard and Sean Michael Fitzgerald had RBI singles in the outburst.
Somehow, Walpole American managed to extend the game even after a double play on a lineout and forceout at first put Portsmouth one out away from the win. With two outs, LaVita's grounder to first was misplayed and Sam Falkson followed with a base hit up the middle. Kyle Donnelly's grounder to third led to a throwing error and the bases were loaded.
Joey Guarino then lifted a fly ball to center that was dropped for the third error of the inning (Portsmouth committed six on the game) as LaVita and special pinch runner Mike Rando came around to score. P.J. Hayes then hit a hard shot to second that made it through the infielder's glove for yet another error as Donnelly and Guarino scored to tie it at 7.
"They're 11- and 12-year old kids and I understand that, but we're a better team than that," said Portsmouth manager Mark McCauley of the errors. "It really cost us."
However, with one out in the top of the eighth, Connor McCauley erased those mistakes with a home run to straightaway center to give his team a lead it wouldn't squander a second time.
Bender and Johnny White drew walks in the bottom half but were stranded as Allen fielded a comebacker to the mound to end it.
Portsmouth took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Leonard singled in Dillon Crosby, but Walpole answered in the bottom half when Adams blasted a solo shot over the fence in right-center.
In the second, Portsmouth retook the lead on a Crosby RBI single after a hit batsman and error put runners on to lead off.
