PAWTUCKET ---- Down by two runs heading into the home half of the sixth inning, the bottom three in the order due up, and a hard-throwing reliever returning to the hill after striking out three of the four batters he faced -- things clearly didn't look good for Darlington American on Wednesday night in its District II losers' bracket game against Portsmouth.
But instead of folding its tents and calling it a tournament, DALL put together a magical comeback by parlaying three hits and two walks into three runs in its final swings and energizing its home fans with a thrilling 4-3 victory at Slater Park. 
No. 3 batter Adam Ghazal, who had struck out in his first three visits to the plate, was the hero in the sixth with his one-out single down the right-field line that brought home Derek Vadnais with the tying run and Nick Mays with the game-winner.
That gave DALL its fourth straight losers' bracket victory and pushed them into Friday night's battle against the survivor of Wednesday's contest between Bristol and Rumford.
"I'm really proud of these kids," admitted DALL manager Dave Hughes. "They wouldn't quit and they really played well today. This was our fourth win in a row, and we're hoping we can keep it going on Friday."
DALL received another brilliant outing from co-ace pitcher Eddie Vasquez, who delivered a six-hitter that included seven strikeouts and a walk. Vasquez, who threw 84 pitches, was well-rested for this contest and coming off a one-hit shutout in DALL's 10-0 conquest of Newport on July 1.
That whitewash came before Ghazal (DALL's other co-ace) shut down Little Compton in Darlington's losers' bracket opener, a 6-0 victory on June 29, and after Ghazal no-hit Tiverton in a 2-0 triumph in Darlington's last game on Monday.
Vasquez carried DALL's scoreless streak into Wednesday's contest, but it came to an end after 19 1/3 innings, when in the second, he walked the first batter he faced, struck out the following batter, and surrendered a two-run homer to Tyler Rosenberg, who reached out for a 1-1 pitch and belted an opposite-field shot that found its way over the fence and into the trees

s in left.
While Portsmouth only managed to put four runners on base in the first four innings, Darlington had its share of opportunities to produce a big inning in the early going off Portsmouth starter Maxwell Khalfayan, but the locals left eight runners on base in those four innings and only scored once.
That run came in the fourth, when with two gone and runners on the corners, Corey Hughes lined a 2-2 pitch down the left-field line to score Vasquez (who reached on a fielder's choice) from third with ease and send the speedy Mays (who drew a two-out walk) to third without a throw.
That's when Khalfayan got the hook in favor of Mackenzie MacDonald, and not only did he end the inning by striking out Ghazal, but he quickly set down the side in order in the sixth, striking out the last two batters he faced. 
Vasquez ran into trouble in the sixth and quickly yielded Portsmouth's third run when Khalfayan led off by reaching base on an infield error, took second on a passed ball, and came around to score on Austin Szczepaniak's line single to center.
A pair of fielder's choice grounders resulted in the first two outs, but singles to center by Rosenberg and Conor Struckman loaded the bases. Vasquez then ended the drama by getting Terrence Burns to pop out to first baseman Paul Provost in foul ground.
That set the stage for Darlington's dramatic finish.
David Taylor led off with a double that reached the wall in right-center field, and after he sped to third on a wild pitch, he raced home on Vasquez's infield single to the right of shortstop Mike Massen.
MacDonald then endured a touch of wildness and walked Vadnais and Mays to load the bases and bring Darlington's excited fans to their feet.
But MacDonald settled down and got the first out when he induced Hughes to tap a soft grounder in front of the mound. MacDonald fielded it and lobbed the ball to the plate to erase Vasquez.
That brought Ghazal to the plate, and facing a 2-1 count, he smacked an outside pitch that hugged the right-field line, drove in Vadnais and Mays without a throw to the plate, and sent his teammates and coaches into a celebration near the pitcher's mound.
"This was a big win against a very good team," remarked Hughes. "Portsmouth is the class of this district."
Darlington also finished the game with six hits (two of them from Taylor), but the hosts also took full advantage of eight walks and six wild pitches by Khalfayan and MacDonald.
Mays, who played center field, turned in the defense play of the night in the third, when with one out and a runner on first, he took away a potential extra-base hit by Khalfayan by dashing to his left and making an all-out basket catch near the fence in right-center field.