Two days for a win

NORWALK — Brett Mayer tripled on Tuesday, but his home run and right arm would prove even more crucial on Wednesday as Stamford American pulled out its first District 1 12-year-old Little League All-Star win of the summer.

Twenty-six hours after the game started, Mayer notched the save by catching a foul ball for the final out, clinching Stamford American’s 5-4, seven-inning win over Norwalk at Broad River Field on Wednesday.

“It was pretty nerve wracking, but at the same time it was fun just being with my team,” Mayer said. “I wanted the ball with the game on the line at the end.”

Stamford American is now 1-1 in pool play. According to league historians, if it can knock off Wilton on Friday it will advance out of pool play at the 12-year-old level for the first time since 1996.

Norwalk, which is winless in two games, was eliminated from advancing out of pool play.

Eli Good staked Norwalk to a 1-0 lead with a lead-off home run on Tuesday.

In the second inning, Mayer tripled, but the heavens opened up and a nearly 15-minute deluge suspended play and pushed the remainder of the action to Wednesday.

While Mayer wound up being stranded at third upon Wednesday’s return to play, Stamford American was trailing 3-2 entering the sixth when Mayer stepped to the plate with Nate Fabricatore standing at second courtesy of a walk and wild pitch.

Mayer blasted the ball over the right field fence to put Stamford American ahead 4-3.

“It was probably one of the greatest feelings ever,” Mayer said. “I thought it was out at first, but then I heard my coach, yelling, ‘Go, go, go’ so I thought maybe it didn’t go.”

Norwalk was down to its last strike in the bottom of the sixth until Will Singewald tripled. Special pinch runner Deron Koppel scored on an error to tie the game at 4-4 and force extra innings.

In the top of the seventh it would be Stamford American that would benefit from a Norwalk miscue to take the lead.

Charlie Karukas led off with a walk, advancing to third on two wild pitches. He then scored when Diego Wirz put the ball in play, leading to the error.

Mayer came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh, firing a 1-2-3 inning to clinch the win.

“There’s not enough stress in the game,” Stamford American coach Eddie Prieto said jokingly. “Most importantly, the kids didn’t stop battling. There were a couple of times I thought we were in trouble, but it’s like I just told them, they showed me heart. It’s all about wanting to win.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Mayer, hitting out of the eighth spot, came up big when he had to in the batter’s box (2-for-3, triple, home run, two RBIs) and on the mound in the seventh.

His homer was his second career dinger, his first in All-Star play.

Jake Prieto also had two hits, a single and double from the lead-off spot.

GIVETH AND TAKETH

Stamford American led 2-1 on Gattuso’s mammoth two-run shot in the third, but in the home half of the fifth Norwalk turned two American errors into a 3-2 lead.

A walk to Singewald had started the inning while Jackson Waters reached on a fielder’s choice.

Both scored thanks to Stamford American errors.

AND HERE’S THE PITCH

Stamford American’s three-headed pitching effort of Prieto, Karukas and Mayer only gave up three hits over the course of seven innings.

DiPrieto struck out six and walked four, Karukas fanned one and walked one, and Mayer K’d just one Norwalk batter.

“Stamford American is a good team, but unfortunately we didn’t hit,” said Norwalk coach Sheldon Singewald, whose team left 10 runners on base, six in scoring position. “We couldn’t get the hit in the right spot.”

Vinny Velez had the third hit for Norwalk, a single. jnash@hearstmediact.com