PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Pittsfield’s Little Leaguers showed some big heart over the last couple of days.

 

In District 1 tournament that either city team deserved to win, the American League All-Stars got the win Wednesday night when Owen Kroboth hit a two-out RBI single to right field to score Brendan Stannard and give their team a 7-6, walkoff win in the championship of the Don Gleason tournament.

 

Kroboth’s heroics came after the Nationals, who reached the final in dramatic fashion on Monday, rallied with four runs in the top of the sixth to keep their season alive.

 

“I can’t say enough about how my team battled, coming all the way back to tie the game up,” National League All-Stars coach Bryon Sherman said.

 

And after the Nationals showed their ability to fight, it was the Americans’ turn to get off the mat and get back to work.

 

“The kids were fired up,” American League coach Pat Bramer said. “We didn’t have to say anything to them as coaches. The kids all got together, and they knew what they had to do. They pulled it together as a team, and they got out there and did the job.”

 

Kroboth said everyone knew what that job was.

 

“We just had to get hits and score,” he said. “We just had to hit the ball.”

 

Mike Zwinglestein, who was brilliant after a shaky first inning for the Nationals, put the home team in a hole by getting the first man to ground to second base. But with his pitch count soaring, Zwinglestein was forced to take a seat after allowing four earned runs and striking out three in 5-⅓ innings of work.

 

The next American hitter struck out, but Brendan Stannard, who earlier hit a two-run homer, drew a four-pitch walk. Patrick Rindfuss followed with walk to put men on second and third for Kroboth.

 

He went opposite field for his second hit of the game, and Stannard slid home without a play to let the celebration begin.

 

Way back in the first inning, it looked like the Americans would not have to wait very long to start celebrating.

 

Luke Mele started the bottom of the first with a double to center field, and a two-base error and Stannard’s homer gave the Americans a 3-0 lead before the Nationals could record an out.

 

Rindfuss drew a walk, and, after a flyball out off the bat of Kroboth, Bo Bramer hit the Americans’ second homer of the inning to make it 5-0.

 

The Americans got on the board with one in the second and one in the third, but Dylan Trova drove home an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 6-2.

 

The Nationals started the top of the sixth with a groundball out, but Jonathan Monahan followed with a single up the middle to cap a 3-for-4 night at the plate.

 

Nick Hall and Zwinglestein then drew walks to get the tying run to the plate in the person of Jayden Keefner.

 

Keefner hit a 1-2 pitch down the right field line to drive in two runs and make it 6-4.

 

The Nationals then cashed in on a defensive miscue to bring their fifth and sixth runs across the plate.

 

Jared Jansen singled to left to put runners at the corners, but reliever Rindfuss induced a groundball to get the second out of the inning.

 

Steve Zuccalo launched a Rindfuss offering into left field and had the Nationals fans ready to roar. But Mele made a running catch on the liner to end the inning and set the stage for the winning rally.

 

Rindfuss was the third American League pitcher of the night. Starter Kieran Coscia went 4-2/3 , allowing no earned runs, before turning the ball over to Bo Bramer, who went ⅔ of an inning.

 

More photos of this game here.