Fairfield American One Game From Williamsport

One game. Six innings. One more victory.

That is all that now separates Fairfield American from a trip of a lifetime.

Chris Howell paced a 12-hit attack with a home run and four RBI Thursday, as Fairfield American advanced to the finals of the New England Regionals with a 10-8 victory over Portsmouth, the New Hampshire state champion, in Bristol.

It's not supposed to be easy, however, and this one wasn't, even though Fairfield American appeared to be control with a 10-4 lead after five innings.

Fairfield American survived a nerve-wracking finish, as New Hampshire rallied for four runs in the bottom of sixth, the big blow in the inning being a three-run home run by Kobie Taylor.

But ace Nick Nardone came to the rescue in relief of starter Jack Quinn, getting a pair of strikeouts to finally close out the victory and keep alive the dream.

"Nick was throwing gas," Fairfield American coach Chris Daley said. "Does anybody have a Jugs gun up here? That's the hardest I think I've seen here throw all summer."

The locals will play on ESPN on Saturday (7 p.m.) against Rhode Island,which rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to beat  Vermont,5-4, in Thursday's second semifinal.

"It's a great feeling, particularly for these guys," Daley added. "They've worked hard all summer since the middle of June and here we are, one game away from going to the ultimate prize and they're going to do it."

Fairfield American, which improved to 19-1 in the postseason, is taking on a "team of destiny" feel, although it could have a tough test on Saturday when it  faces Rhode Island. The Ocean State champions handed Fairfield American its only loss, 2-0, last Friday.

Still, the Fairfielders' potent offense, which averaged 12 runs entering the regionals, has come alive after struggling earlier in the tournament. And Fairfield American will be out for revenge after being held to three hits in the earlier meeting.

"Since that loss, my mind has just been (on) showing Rhode Island what we're really like," Quinn said  "Also making sure that we have our 'A' game because when we played them and lost, we all didn't contribute. If we all contribute, we can definitely beat them."

Fairfield American had to come from behind to win its three previous games, and Daley joked that the close contests were taking years of his life. But the team took control of Thursday's game from the start, scoring in each of the first five innings.

Quinn had an RBI single in the first and Howell belted a two-run homer in the second to make it 3-0. In the third, Eddie Magi delivered a two-run single and Howell contributed a two-run double to extend Fairfield American's lead to 7-2.

"The nice thing about tonight is several guys had multiple hit games and (there were) multiple contributors in the  lineup, so it's very encouraging to see that," Daley added. "I think we could be peaking at the right time here."

Like in its 7-4 victory against Vermont, Fairfield American wore down New Hampshire starter Justin Lent with a patient approach at the plate. It took numerous pitches, causing Lent's pitch count to soar.

Lent went to a 3-2 count on four of the first 10 batters he faced and was lifted after 73 pitches in just 2 1/3 innings.  Lent surrendered seven runs - four earned - and eight hits.

"We just really wanted to get pumped because we realized we were just one game away from the championship game," said Howell, who finished 3-for-4.

Quinn's leadoff single started a two-run rally in the fourth, and Fairfield American tacked on one more in the fifth to take a six-run lead into the final frame.

Daley wanted Quinn to get the complete game, but with Fairfield American three outs away from the final, the pitcher began to tire, giving up five hits in the sixth.

"I wasn't nervous," said Quinn, who surrendered eight runs - seven earned - and 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts.  "My arm was beginning to wear down."

Nardone entered with runners on second third to face the tying run, but he fanned Daniel Philbrick on three pitches and Lucas Hartmann on five.

"I would have liked to finish the game," Quinn said, "but I knew Nick would come in and do the job."

Quinn, who is officially out of his slump, and Daley each had two hits for Fairfield American, which will have Nardone on the mound Saturday.