BIDDEFORD — The Saco 11-12 year old Little League All-Star team topped Biddeford 4-1 in a solid all-around outing on Friday at Hill Street.

Saco fired on all cylinders, boasting strong pitching, fielding and timely hitting to push past rival Biddeford in the District 4 playoffs. Saco manager Dave Page was pleased with his team’s defensive performance, committing no errors.

“That’s one thing these guys have always been good at — defense,” said Page. “We really trust them, they don’t throw the ball around and they’re smart, it’s just a matter of our bats getting going and our pitching. Our bats weren’t really alive today so I’m looking forward to when that happens.”

Saco got on the board in the third inning when Brady Graffam launched a solo homerun to right field to take the 1-0 lead. Saco would add some insurance later in the inning when Braden Camire hit a two-run single to extend the lead to 3-0.

Biddeford responded in the fifth inning when Chase Magnant hit a solo shot of his own top cut the lead to 3-1, however, Saco would send another run across the plate on a wild pitch in the bottom half of the fifth to secure the 4-1 victory.

Mason Collins took the hill for Saco, pitching six innings and allowing one run on eight hits while striking out eight batters. Kyle Dion got the start for Biddeford, pitching 4 2/3 innings and picking up four strikeouts. Gino Mariello pitched in relief and earned a strikeout.

Page was also impressed with each pitcher’s performance on the afternoon.

“Mason does a great job of mixing it up and keeping the ball down, there were a lot of ground balls. He’s a really smart pitcher,” said Page. “Kyle is a great pitcher, great player and great competitor. He hit his spots when he needed to, kept us honest. He did a great job today, he just may have left one ball up, but we’re a good hitting team.”

Biddeford takes its first loss of the double elimination tournament while Saco remains undefeated. Page and company were excited to top their local rival, as well as pick up a win against one of the state’s top teams in Biddeford.

“There’s no doubt about it, and it’s a natural rivalry between the two,” said Page. “There are some great teams in the district this year and we know we have an X on our back. We know that everyone is going to throw their best pitcher at us, we need to fight through”

— Associate Sports Editor Alex Sponseller can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 323. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.