48°
FAIRFIELD, Conn. Fairfield Nationals All-stars got their revenge against their cross-town rivals. Four days after a loss to Fairfield American in the District 2 Little League baseball tournament, National rode a seven-run third inning to win 11-4 Saturday afternoon at Blackham School in Bridgeport. The National victory pushes a single-game rematch Sunday afternoon for the District 2 championship.
We won it the way weve always done it, said National manager Luis Garcia. We hit the ball hard, and we hit the ball far.
Austin Pavarini started off the action for National in the second with the first of his teams three home runs. But the bats really came alive in the third. Owen Buhrendorf began the rally with a solo homer over the 12-foot Green Monster left field fence. National then rattled off five singles, plus a walk and sacrifice fly, to take an 8-0 lead.
Fairfield American starting pitcher Eddie Schwartz settled down after the third-inning rally, finishing with five strikeouts through five innings. I thought [Schwartz] pitched fine, American manager Kevin Flynn said. Obviously, he pitched a better game Tuesday, but theyre 12. Youre going to have an off day.
Fairfield American began charging back in the bottom of the fifth. Philip Vlandis put the team on the board with an RBI single. He then scored on a bases-loaded walk to Schwartz to close the gap at 8-2 and push National starter Reed Harrington out of the game. Harrington finished with six strikeouts in four innings to earn the win.
National sealed the game with a three-run home run from Hunter Rempe in the top of the sixth. Brendan Buchers RBI triple and Vlandis sacrifice fly pushed the score to 11-4, but Americans late-game hitting was not enough to win their eighth straight this summer.
The rubber match of the cross-town rivalry will take place Sunday at noon, again at Blackham. The winner of Sundays contest will earn the District 2 championship and the right to play in the Section 1 tournament beginning next week.
Were going to take it one pitch at a time, said Garcia. But were very confident were going to win.
Who do you think will win the Fairfield National-Fairfield American showdown Sunday?
Click here to follow Daily Voice Fairfield and receive free news updates.
