When Westbrook coach Jim Mulkern called over his number-seven hitter in the sixth inning Saturday, he had a message for Cameron McLain.

“I let him know he was going to be the hero,” Mulkern said. “We needed one base hit and he got it for us.”

McLain completed his team’s comeback with a single that scored DJ Breunig, giving the Westbrook 11-year-old all-stars a 3-2 win over Windham in the first round of the District 6 tournament at Windham’s Lowell Farm Field.

Windham pitcher Nate Boyle had been tough all game, striking out a dozen, but he seemed to get tired in the sixth. Breunig led off the bottom of that inning with a walk and then advanced to third on a pair of high wild pitches.

Cody Dube took over for Boyle, but it was a tough spot for a reliever. McLain’s bouncer down the third base line was enough to do the trick.

“Today was a great game: great defense, great pitching, a clean game,” said Mulkern. “They’re a tough team, and we showed that we’re a little bit tougher.

Windham appeared to be the tougher team early in the game. They had solid doubles in each of the first three innings and had another runner reach third base in the third.

Each time, Westbrook was able to get out of those jams, including in the second, when right fielder Ian King threw out Robbie Hamilton at home after he attempted to tag up on a fly-ball out.

Hamilton was able to avenge that play and finally get his team on the scoreboard when he launched a home run over the center field fence with Sean Francoeur aboard in the fourth.

The blast came not long after Westbrook got a run of their own with a two-out rally. Andrew McCarthy singled and came home on Keenan Lowe’s single.

Westbrook pitcher Paul Patriotti, who struck out three and walked just one, wasn’t happy with himself after the home run.

“I was mad,” said the right-handed hurler. “I was thinking, ‘I hope that kid doesn’t hit another home run off me.'”

Patriotti was able to get some payback when he tripled off the fence in right to start the bottom of the fifth. McCarthy singled again to knock his teammate in and tie the score.

Windham threatened in the sixth when Hamilton ripped his third extra base hit of the game, this one a double inside the left field line. His pinch runner went to third on a ground out, but Cody Champagne “saved the game,” said his coach.

TD O’Brien hit a hard one-hopper to Champagne’s right, but the shortstop was able to smother it and just throw out O’Brien, setting the stage for Breunig and McLain in the bottom of the frame.

At press time, the Westbrook 11s were scheduled to meet Portland North Monday. A win in that contest would put the squad in action again Sunday at 11:00 a.m., while a loss would result in a game Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

Westbrook’s 12-year-olds are also in action at Rocco DeCarolis Field in Portland, while the 9- and 10-year-old softball all-stars are playing in Cape Elizabeth and the 11- and 12-year-old softballers are in their tournament in Falmouth.

The other all-star teams will be in action later this month.