The Suffolk Youth Athletic Association 8U National All-Star team has played in three tournaments so far, and each has ended with it in the championship game against Western Branch Gold.

The National team has won once, but Western Branch went 2-1 with a win on Monday, withstanding a valiant rally in the bottom of the sixth inning to win the PONY Baseball sectional tournament in Southern Chesapeake by the score of 20-14.

“It was a struggle for us that game, having a three-day layover,” National team coach Frankie Haltom said, referring to the weather delay that moved the contest from Friday to Monday.

However, his feisty team has done well in difficult situations. It earned a berth in the PONY Baseball Pinto East Zone Tournament in High Point, N.C., by pulling off a 20-19 comeback win in last Thursday’s semifinal against Great Neck Blue.

On Monday, the National team trailed 20-6 in the bottom of the final inning, but rattled off eight runs, making Western Branch work for the win.

“It wasn’t our best performance, but that’s where we pick up our pieces and we go to High Point and we try again,” Haltom said.

The team is still in the process of raising funds for the trip. Team parents set up a GoFundMe page, inviting people and even companies from the community to contribute to the effort.

“We still need funds,” Haltom said, particularly for fuel and food. “We’re very, very close to the hotel being paid for.”

The gauge at www.gofundme.com/aroydg showed that $650 had been donated as of Wednesday evening.

While Monday did not go the way the National squad wanted, the team still performed well overall in the tournament, placing second out of 20 teams while producing a record of 5-2.

“The entire team really contributed to everything,” Haltom said.

The group plans to leave early Friday morning and will play its first game Friday evening in the PONY Baseball Pinto East Zone Tournament, which takes place July 11-13.

Visit www.gofundme.com/aroydg to donate.