South Portland scored three runs in the sixth inning to rally past Portland for a 4-1 victory in an SMAA baseball game Saturday morning at Hadlock Field.

In a battle of two of the top teams in Class A South, the Red Riots won their seventh straight game – a stretch in which they’ve allowed just six runs – and improved to 10-2. Portland dropped to 9-3.

Both teams were hitless through four innings, but Portland still took a 1-0 lead in the third inning with three walks and a run-scoring fielder’s choice by Billy Barnard.

It was South Portland’s first win over the Bulldogs since the 2015 Western Class A championship game and its first victory at Hadlock Field since 2013.

“(Portland) has had our number lately,” said South Portland Coach Mike Owens. “I’m so proud of the way our kids competed today.

“It didn’t look good early – we were held hitless until the fifth. It was a good test and a good way for the kids to grind one out today.”

After Anthony Poole broke up Donnie Tocci’s no-hit bid in the fifth, South Portland rallied in the sixth.

Riley Hasson led off the inning by reaching on an error. Zach Johnson placed a perfect bunt for a single, and Jake Poole followed with a sharp single to left field to tie the game.

Hunter Owen’s sinking liner to center field eluded Ben Stasium’s dive to give the Red Riots a 2-1 lead. Dillan Bolduc followed with a sacrifice fly.

“We know Tocci is a very good pitcher,” Owens said. “He was doing a good job of mixing it up. I thought we had good swings, (but) we just missed a couple and had a couple where we hit it right at them.

“I kept telling the kids to continue to grind away and I thought, hopefully, some of those (outs) would start to fall because we were putting together good at-bats even though he was handling us pretty easily.”

Portland (9-3) had its chances against Owen, who improved to 5-0. The sophomore lefty allowed only one hit in five innings but issued seven walks.

“I kind of struggled at the beginning of the game,” Owen said. “I just didn’t really have too much stuff today. But I had my teammates pick me up.”

Owen walked back-to-back batters with one out in the fourth before striking out the next two. In the fifth, Stasium’s one-out single – the first hit for Portland – and a walk put runners on first and second with one out. Owen got a double play to end the threat.

Connor Buckley pitched the final two innings for the Red Riots and allowed one hit.

“We had a lot of opportunities to score runs on Owen, but I have to give him credit,” said Portland Coach Mike Rutherford. “He puts a lot of runners on base, but it is hard to square up on him.

“We had the right guys in the right spots all game to lengthen our lead but didn’t do it. We let them hang around and they got key hits at the right time.”

Johnson beat out a potential double play for a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the seventh.

“This was a big win, obviously,” Owen said. “It’s the Battle of the Bridge. … So this was a big win and it was lots of fun.”

Tocci (5-1) threw a four-hitter with four strikeouts and two walks. He also hit three batters.

Related Stories