The Portland High baseball team hadn’t given up a run in three games, but Biddeford put an emphatic end to that streak as it picked up an important win Wednesday at Hadlock Field.

Aided by six errors and bolstered by timely hits, Biddeford scored 10 runs with two outs, produced six unearned runs and led from start to finish in a 12-7 victory.

Matt Rousselle had four hits and Hunter Demeule added three as the Tigers improved to 8-6.

“Our team has struggled offensively most of the year, but maybe some warmer weather was a blessing,” said Biddeford Coach Keith LeBlanc. “The kids swung the bats well and looked to drive pitches. It was nice to see.”

The Tigers struck in the top of the first. Carter Edgerton laced a double off Portland starter Brian Riley on the first pitch of the game, and after Riley got two outs, Rousselle went the other way for a single to right that drove in Edgerton.

After Edgerton made a terrific defensive play to rob Ben Sawyer in the bottom of the first and Biddeford starting pitcher Will Harriman set the Bulldogs down in order in the second, the Tigers added to their lead in the third.

Advertisement

With the bases loaded and two outs, Nick Lyons pulled a 1-2 pitch down the left-field line for a three-run triple and a 4-0 advantage.

In the fourth, Seth Perry walked, moved to second on an errant pickoff throw by Portland catcher Sam Knop, took third on a wild pitch and came home on another two-out hit – a single by Demeule through the hole on the left side.

The Tigers then blew it open in the fifth, thanks in large part to three errors.

Two runs scored when Billy Barnard couldn’t handle the ball at shortstop, another scored on an RBI single by Demeule, and Rousselle reached on a run-scoring infield single to stretch the lead to 9-0.

Portland (7-6) showed some life in the bottom of the fifth, as Donnie Tocci’s single scored Max Brown, and Ben Stasium ripped a two-run double to deep left to drive home Danny Tocci and Donnie Tocci.

Biddeford, though, tacked on a run in the sixth, again unearned, then added two more in the seventh, as Rousselle doubled off the Maine Monster in left and Ashton Crowell followed with an RBI groundout.

“It’s a totally different game in this ballpark,” said Rousselle. “It’s awesome to hit here. (Hitting the fence) was a dream come true for me. We just wanted to be aggressive, look for good pitches and drive the ball.”

Portland made things interesting with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, as Donnie Tocci had an RBI single,  Sawyer a run-scoring groundout and Barnard a two-run single.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.