South Windsor National 11-12 All Stars Edge American 8-7.

Just call the South Windsor National 11-12 All-Star team the “Cardiac Kids.”

Indeed, the Nats improved their record to 3-0 in District 8 pool play with a thrilling 8-7 victory over intra-town rival South Windsor American on Thursday evening.

In all three of their victories (against Thompsonville, Manchester and South Windsor American), the Nats have had to come from behind.

Against the Americans, the Nats were trailing 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth, when Nathan Main singled with two outs and runners on first and second.

Evan Hapkiewicz scored from second on the hit, while Jake Donald advanced to third. Donald was waved home when the throw from the outfield trickled into the American dugout.

National head coach Mike Smith said that the game should serve as a wake-up call for his team, which won the District 8 title as 11-year-olds.

“I just told the guys we’ve got to play six innings,” Smith said. “All of our victories have been close, and two came in the last at-bat. … We can’t take anyone for granted. … But I’m proud of them, because they never quit.”

In the other dugout, the Americans (1-2), who were one out away from defeating their major rivals as well as taking their pool-play destiny in their own hands, were stunned by the loss.

But American head coach Steve Harz didn’t sound like someone whose team just suffered a tough defeat.

“We played [National] three times in three years [in 9-, 10- and 11-year old All-Stars] and we’ve gotten mercy ruled all three times,” Harz said. “I told them, if you are looking for progress, there it is. Look at what you’ve done. Win your next game and beat [National] when you play them again. … I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Things didn’t start out that way for the Americans, who found themselves trailing 4-0 after the first inning when the Nats’ Matt Smith golfed a two-run home run, Jimmy Tamburro followed with a solo shot to center and Main singled home Donald.

The Americans got one back in the top of the first on Austin Frigugliett’s RBI double to make it 4-1.

The Nats built their lead back up to 5-1 in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Hapkiewicz.

The Nats appeared to be cruising to victory until American reserve Danny Kruzick hit a two-out grand slam in the top of the third to even the score at 5-5.

The momentum shifted entirely after that, as American pitcher Michael Gore, normally a catcher, muffled the bats of one of the best hitting teams in the entire region for nearly five innings.

“I thought I was going to get an inning or two out of him,” Harz said. “We got 85 pitches out of him.”

Gore allowed just two runs in 4 ⅔ innings of work before he was lifted with one out in the bottom of the sixth.

The Americans’ bats also heated up, as they took a 7-5 lead in the top of the fourth on a double by Brendan Mabey that scored Gore and Matt Albert.

The Nats, however, refused to go quietly, getting one back in the bottom of the fourth when Jacques Bouquot singled home Tamburro.

Neither team scored until the bottom of the sixth, setting the stage for Main’s heroics.

The Americans are scheduled to face Thompsonville today, while the Nationals are set to take on Windsor on Saturday in Game 4 of pool play.