All summer long power hitters Nick Nardone and Jack Quinn led the way for Fairfield American Little League. Against Southborough, Mass., on Thursday they came through again. Both players hit late game home runs in the 9-8 victory. Solid pitching by Patrick O'Leary completed the comeback.
"I just need to get at least a base hit to start my team off," Quinn said. "I needed to keep us in the game."
Fairfield (3-1) defeated Massachusetts (1-3) in the final game of New England Regional pool play, securing the second seed in the elimination round and a matchup with the No. 3 seed New Hampshire at 5 p.m. Thursday at Breen Field in Bristol. The winner of the Regional advances to Williamsport, Pa., for the Little League World Series.
Fairfield manager Chris Daley said the close games have been tough.
"They take a little bit of years off my life," Daley said. "These guys, to their credit, they've held in on all of the close games."
Nardone started, threw 20 pitches and was taken out in the first. He and Nate Klein struggled, and Fairfield fell behind 3-0 in the first.
Fairfield trailed by as much as 5-1 heading into the fourth inning, but rallied to make it 5-4.
Massachusetts came back with a two-run home run, making it 7-4 heading into the fifth. Nardone answered back with a home run to cut the lead to 7-5.
Quinn hit a two-run home run to tie the game 7-7 in the sixth. Then O'Leary pitched a perfect bottom half of the inning to force extra innings. Nardone then connected on a two-run home run in the seventh.
O'Leary relieved Klein and shut down Massachusetts for three innings, allowing just one run. He threw only 14 pitches in perfect fifth and sixth innings.
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