SCARBOROUGH – For years the Scarborough softball team has been seeking an answer for South Portland.

It turns out the solution was just to play Mo.

Scarborough junior pitcher Mo Hannan, who hasn’t allowed a run all postseason, continued the streak in perhaps the most challenging arena imaginable – a rematch with the Red Riots. South Portland knocked Scarborough out of this same Western Class A championship game in 2010, and handled the Storm 3-1 back on May 24. But they couldn’t figure the Scarborough’s defense this time, loading the bases in the fourth but failing to get a run in.

Meanwhile, Hannan worked her magic both on and off the mound, squeezing three bags out of a single when she hit a ball softly to right field in the top of the first and it bounced past South Portland’s Danielle Dibiase. Hannan came home when Dominique Burnham grounded out to second base, and that lone run was all it took to close things out six and a half innings later as the Storm held on for the 1-0 win.

“I knew that feeling from last year and I did not want to experience it again,” Hannan said. “It was the worst thing. I knew we could do it. We were so close the past few times in the regular season, and this game meant so much.”

After the first – aside from her lone major hiccup in the fourth – Hannan settled in nicely, striking out 11 opposing batters. Although she allowed eight baserunners in seven innings of work, only two made it past second. South Portland senior starter Alexis Bogdanovich also pitched excellently after the first inning, ringing up nine batters. She attributed the Riots failure to score on Hannan to nerves.

“I knew that it was definitely going to be a close game – we have always played them close – but I thought we would be able to put a couple up,” Bogdanovich said. “It was a little disappointing. I think it’s just all a mental game, and we just got in the game and we were all nervous today. It just got to us.”

It seemed like South Portland would get to Hannan in the fourth, though. Shortstop Danica Gleason singled to lead off, stole second in a rundown, and then took third when Katlin Norton grounded out to first.

Perhaps the single most crucial play of the game followed, as Bogdanovich grounded to shortstop and Marisa O’Toole elected to go home with the ball. O’Toole, who injured her arm in practice earlier in the week, was a question mark to even start until Tuesday, but she showed no signs of weakness or fatigue as she hurled towards the plate. Even so, it was an incredibly close play, but after the dust settled, Gleason was called out.

“I hate to disagree with an umpire, but I will,” said South Portland Head Coach Ralph Aceto. “I think she beat the throw to the plate, and I think she was safe, and I’m going to stick to that. I was not going to jeopardize the game for one play, but it definitely took the wind out of our sails. We loaded the bases after that, so it wasn’t like it was the end of the world. We had our opportunities.”

“That gave us a big confidence booster,” added Hannan. “But I knew that the middle of their lineup, which is the strongest part, was coming up again, so it wasn’t over.”

Hannan later walked two to reload the bases, but struck out freshman Olivia Indorf to end the threat. Although the Riots would get baserunners in the fifth and the sixth, none made it beyond first, and South Portland went down in order in the seventh to end the game.

“We thought we were going to have a lot more shots,” Norton said. “I think we are a better hitting team, and that we should have had more chances at it than that. We had bases loaded, and a couple of other times we had runners on base, and we just couldn’t get them across.”

Both Bogdanovich and Norton lamented the passing of a superb Riots senior class.

“We have played together since little league,” Bogdanovich said. “And we have all played together well. We went to states in Little League and everything. I am just going to miss them next year.”

“We have all been on varsity together the past four years,” Norton said, fighting off tears. “We – I’m sorry, it’s just – we were really hoping to accomplish this again this year.”

The Red Storm will face Messalonskee in Augusta at noon on June 18 for the right to be called state champs.

“We have just been waiting for this opportunity the whole year,” said Scarborough Head Coach Tom Griffin. “My kids worked so hard all offseason just to get to this point and to have this opportunity, and I am absolutely just thrilled for them.”

Scarborough junior starting pitcher Mo Hannan peers over the top of her glove as she prepares to deliver to South Portland’s Alexis Bogdanovich (not pictured) on Wednesday. Although Hannan allowed eight baserunners, she also struck out 11 and didn’t allow a run – a streak she’s maintained since May 31. (Staff photo by Emory Rounds)