KENNEBUNK — With infielders playing in on the grass, a runner on third base and the score tied in the sixth inning of a playoff game, Biddeford junior Delano Hale pawed at the dirt in the batter’s box.

The No. 8 batter in the Tigers’ lineup, Hale had grounded back to the mound and was out on a sacrifice bunt in his previous two attempts.

“I was pretty nervous,” he admitted.

The count ran full. He fouled off another pitch, then bounced a single through the shortstop hole to give Biddeford the lead for good. The Tigers tagged on three runs in the seventh to earn a 5-1 victory over Kennebunk in a Class A South preliminary baseball game Tuesday afternoon.

The ninth-seeded Tigers (9-8) advance to Thursday’s regional quarterfinals at No. 1 South Portland (15-1). Last month South Portland beat Biddeford 3-0.

Sophomore Will Harriman, who held the Rams to one hit in a mid-May shutout the first time these teams met, settled down after a shaky start and went the distance, allowing five hits and two walks. He struck out two and didn’t allow a runner to third base after the first inning.

“My fastball was on today and my curveball was working, too,” said Harriman, who also chipped in with a pair of singles, the first of which started Biddeford’s winning rally in the sixth.

Biddeford Coach Keith LeBlanc said Harriman was pressed into service in the season’s second game when the intended starter, senior Carter Burnell, pulled a muscle in his back while warming up.

“Ever since then, he’s just been fantastic for us,” LeBlanc said. “He was one of our pitchers, but I was not expecting him to be our No. 1. He’s been just so steady.”

Harriman (5-3) and Kennebunk starter Ronin Tachibana (3-2) each allowed a run in the first inning and nothing more the rest of the way.

Tachibana, however, needed 32 pitches to get through that opening inning, which included plunking Harriman in the helmet to load the bases, and eventually ran into pitch-count restrictions.

Oliver Leonard relieved in the sixth with the score 1-1. Harriman greeted him with a single, advanced on a balk and an infield out and scored on Hale’s hit. When Seth Perry lined into a double play started by a sliding catch from center fielder Derek Smith, it marked the fourth straight inning that Biddeford’s last swing resulted in a hard-hit drive caught by an outfielder with at least one runner on base. The previous three stranded a runner at third.

“I wasn’t concerned,” LeBlanc said. “The guys were taking good swings. They were being patient and waiting for their pitch and they ended up squaring some up. I thought they’d fall eventually.”

They certainly did in the seventh, when Biddeford collected five of their 10 hits and scored three runs. Matt Rousselle finished with three hits and Ashton Crowell delivered a two-run single.

The season had begun with such promise for No. 8 Kennebunk (7-10), which lost 9 of 10 after a 6-1 start. Dave York had three of the team’s five hits.

“The good thing for us is most of those kids are coming back,” Rams Coach Brian Dill said. “We had only three seniors of the 15 who were here (Tuesday). That’s got to help us going forward.”

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