The South Portland American Little League advanced to the New England Regional Final and just one win away from a trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Friday with a 7-6 win over New Hampshire champ Goffstown at Bristol, Connecticut.
South Portland (4-1), playing their fifth game in six days, fell behind 3-0 in the bottom of the first that included a solo homer by Aiden O’Connell on the first pitch.
Matthew Fogg tied the game for American Little League in the fourth with a three run homerun. In the fifth South Portland took the lead they would never relinquish on a two out, two run double from Johnny Poole to make it 5-3.
South Portland reliever Richie Gilboy got into trouble in Goffstowns last at bat, allowing three straight two out hits to pull NH within a run, but would earn the save when the third out was made on a foul popout to first baseman Nolan Hobbs. Hobbs started the game on the mound and pitched five solid innings to earn the win, before moving to first because of pitch count.
South Portland now faces Fairfield American (2-0), the Connecticut champ, in a winner take all New England Regional Final Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner of that contest advances to Williamsport and the Little League World Series.
The last time a team from Maine was in the LLWS was 2005, when Westbrook lost their first two games before winning in a consolation contest. Before that, a team from Augusta in 1971 and a Portland team in 1951 were the only other Maine representatives in the tournament.
