Gabriel Rapisardi felt everything click in a game earlier this year.
Fleet Park Little League's Junior All-Stars faced bases loaded with no outs.
It was the bottom of the seventh inning. Give up a single run and they’d miss out on regionals.
Pitcher Jayden Williams dug deep and, with his back against the wall, struck out the next three batters.
The team rallied. They pushed the game to extra innings where they scored two additional runs to seal the contest.
It was a defining moment for the Junior All-Stars this season.
It propelled them to win the Virginia state championship earlier this month. Now they're headed to regionals to compete for a spot in the Little League World Series.
Rapisardi, an outfielder, says that moment showed him what the team is capable of when they’re facing adversity.
“We just think it through and have those big innings where we accomplish something," Rapisardi said. "Then we really fight back to the point to where there's not really a chance for the other team.”
That same moment was a turning point for coach Travis Pfitzner.
“After that [game], the confidence gained was tremendous," Pfitzner said. "We went into that last inning with confidence, where, two days prior, I think, [we] would have been a little bit in panic mode.”
It's a group that's played together for a few years.
The team's chemistry and belief in each other was something that has naturally developed over time.
Pfitzner said it was consistently proven during their practices and games.
"Everybody buying in is important," Pfitzner said. "We say it all the time that everybody's going to play an important role on the team, but [with] our 12 guys it really is the truth."
That translated to success on the diamond. Rapisardi thinks it's their hitting that's made them a tough opponent.
"[We get] a lot of contact and base hits," he said. "We also have a few power hitters that can really hit the ball out there and bring in a lot of runs at one at bat."
Pfitzner thinks it's their defensive prowess that makes them dangerous.
"We do have some team speed and we're able to play different types of games, whether or not it's a low scoring defensive game, or we're able to run the bases aggressively, or just play good team defense behind pitchers that throw strikes," he said.
The Junior All-Stars will take that confidence to Bridgewater, Virginia in the South East regional tournament.
The team’s first game is Friday at 3 p.m. against South Carolina. And with a string of wins the All-Stars would be on their way to the Little League World Series.
Fleet Park is also sending its senior all-star team to regionals after the group won its own Virginia state championship last week. They'll head to Florida to face South Carolina on Friday.
The team has set up a fundraiser to support travel costs for the tournament.
