Westport Honors Little League Baseball, Softball Champs [VIDEO]

Droves of supporters lined Main Street and filled Jesup Green Monday to celebrate Westport's Little League 12U All-Stars baseball team -- No. 4 in the world -- and the 10-11 softball team, the state champions.

First Selectman Gordon Joseloff said Monday was one of the biggest days in Westport "since the British landed at Compo Beach."

And while the Revolutionary War was obviously a big part of Westport's history, the accomplishments of the Little League teams "will certainly be an important new entry in Westport's history book," Joseloff said.

The 10-11 softball team -- helmed by Mark McWhirter with the help of coaches Lou Alfero and Andre Klein -- was the first softball team in Westport history to clinch the state championship.

"Their accomplishment was great and we are obviously very proud of them," Joseloff said.

And then, of course, there's the 12U All-Stars baseball team and New England champions, who not only made it to the U.S. Championship game in the Little League World Series, but came back the day before from a 13-6 deficit to win in a 14-13 thriller against the Sammamish, Wash. team.

"It was a breathtaking run that made their names familiar throughout Westport and the nation -- and it was the way that did it," Joseloff said, noting the team's "sportsmanship, poise, and 'never say die' attitude."

"We were all kids once," Joseloff continued, "and you made us kids again for a shining moment in the summer of 2013."

The boys' manager, Tim Rogers, said the team knew the support they had back home throughout their run in Williamsport.

"It really touched them. It inspired the kids and motivated them," he said. "They felt they were clearly special to the town -- and the feeling is mutual."

Though Westport didn't make it all the way in the World Series, "to be one of the top two teams in the country and top four in the world, with names like California, Mexico, and Japan, it's pretty important," Rogers said. "It's pretty important."

More important than the results, he continued, was the team's "character, heart, and sportsmanship they displayed all season long."

Members of Westport's state delegation as well as national representatives showed their support too. Here's what they had to say:

State Rep. Gail Lavielle (R-143): "People love a winner... [the teams] won our hearts, they won our imaginations, and you can't beat that."

State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg (D-136): The teams had "a lesson for all of us -- never give up and keep trying. They're an inspiration to us all."

State Sen. John McKinney (R-28): To the girls -- "There are young girls in this audience who now know you're the first softball team in Westport to win the state championship." To the boys: "You showed a maturity beyond your years."

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal: The boys "may be No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 4 in the world, but they're No. 1 in my book."

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy: "If you've got the will and you've got the character and you can find a way, you can come back. Your ability to come back again and again -- this team has more heart and more character than that stage in Williamsport has ever seen."

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes: Himes referred to the adage,"It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." To the players, he said, "your character, spirit, and dignity made us proud... but it is very sweet to win the game, and you won and you won and you won and you made us proud."