Portland defeats Biddeford 1-0 to win Little League Baseball state title

WINDHAM — Ten batters reached base Friday for the Portland Little League All-Star team. Only one came in to score.

David Rank left his team needing more.

Rank retired the final 10 batters he faced for five hits as Portland defeated Biddeford 1-0 at Ciccarone Field in Windham to win the state championship.

Portland will play in the New England Regional in Bristol, Connecticut, starting August 3.

“This is a special team,” said Rank, who struck out nine. “I’m really excited. I just want to see if I can pitch well against the best teams in the other states.”

The in-state hitters have no answer for Rank. He threw a no-hitter against Biddeford earlier in the tournament in a 2-0 victory. That put his team in the winners’ bracket, and Portland won twice more — an 11-1 triumph over Lincoln County was the other — to earn the state title.

“David has pitched like that all summer,” Portland Coach Brian Bechard said. “He’s an unbelievable athlete overall, and obviously a great pitcher and the backbone of our team.”

A pitching duel between Rank and Biddeford starter Lukas Lamontagne (four innings, one run, four strikeouts) seemed unlikely early in Friday’s game as both teams had numerous scoring opportunities. Portland got going quickly in the top of the first inning when Louie Bouchard doubled to left, Joey Salvaggio grounded him out and Charlie Armstrong singled to center to make it 1-0.

“It felt great,” said Armstrong, who struck out two. “I just thought, ‘Line drive up the middle.’ … Anything close, foul. And if it’s right there, do it. It felt great. Everyone was so supportive.”

The hits kept coming, but the runs didn’t. In the bottom of the first, Biddeford loaded the bases with a fielder’s choice by Connor Normand and singles by Tyler Blais and Anthony Curro, but Rank got a strikeout to escape the jam. Portland loaded the bases in the second with a single by David King, a walk to Finn Day and a single by Demetrius Brown-Phillips, but Lamontagne slid out of danger when he turned a comebacker into a double play.

In the bottom of the third inning, Biddeford loaded the bases again when Brandon Lyons doubled, Lamontagne singled and Normand walked. Blais followed with a hard-hit grounder, but it was right in front of Bouchard, the shortstop, who stepped up to second base to end the threat.

“We were one shot away from a lead at every point in this game,” coach Jamie Lamontagne said. “I’m proud of how hard these guys have worked this season. They fought hard until the end. This is a good Portland team, you know.”

Biddeford didn’t score or wear Rank down. The right-hander needed 23 pitches to get through the first inning, but only 24 to get through the next two, pounding the zone to get in front of the batters. Once he found a rhythm in the fourth, he had both the momentum and enough remaining pitches to get the job done.

“That’s what he’s good at. That’s the difference between a kid like David and other really good pitchers at this level,” Bechard said. “There’s a lot of kids that can throw hard, there’s kids that can throw well, but the control that David has is what sets him apart.”

Rank was calm before the match — “I was a little concerned he was too calm,” Bechard said — and that demeanor never wavered, even when he found himself in a tight match with little room for error.

“I’ve been in a lot of big games, and this was just another one of them,” Rank said. “I kind of like being in that position because I’ve been in it quite a few times.”

His field players made it easier for him by defending flawlessly behind him.

“At the Little League level, it can be pretty unpredictable, especially in the field,” Bechard said. “When you get to the All-Star level … you get good fielding, but I think our kids are a step above that. … You’re not going to see us make a lot of routine mistakes.”

Now, as their pitcher said, they can measure themselves against the best players in the region.

“We (emphasize) just pitching and defense,” Bechard said. “And that’s what got us to where we are today.”

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