SOUTH PORTLAND – Not every game is going to be pretty, and certainly every game isn’t going to be easy. The Red Storm found that out Monday afternoon at a rainy Wainwright field.

It took a gritty rally in the top of the fifth for the Red Storm (8-1) to edge the struggling South Portland Red Riots (2-7) 6-5, after Scarborough starter Ben Greenberg surrendered five runs in bottom of the fifth.

Even as a sophomore, Greenberg (3-1) knows the intricacies of pitching. No matter how good your stuff is, players at the varsity level will make you pay if you don’t hit your spots.

“I left a lot of balls over the plate,” said Greenberg. “It’s tough, the umps sometimes give you calls, sometimes they don’t and you have to kind of work with their zone. I left some pitches over the plate that I shouldn’t have and they hit the ball. I know they can hit the ball. Just mistakes on my part.”

Greenberg’s frustration stemmed from a rough fifth inning in which the Red Riots scored five runs, erasing a 3-0 deficit and taking a two-run lead on a Will Bushey RBI double.

“I thought we got ahead and kind of got into a lull,” said Red Storm coach Mike Coutts. “’Oh, we’re up 3-0, we’re playing South Portland, they only have a couple of wins so we’ll cruise.’ But they came out, swung the bats and hit the snot out of it.”

The Red Storm, however, showed poise and did not panic when they stepped into the batter’s box in the top of the sixth, promptly loading the bases against Red Riots’ starter Shawn Shannon.

The Red Storm’s ability to get on base set the stage for perhaps the best nine-hole hitter in the league, Greg Viola.

Viola collected his 11th and 12th RBI of the season (good for third best on the team) when he doubled to the gap in left center field, tying the score at five.

“It’s a good thing for a team to have a guy in that spot who can get some hits for you, it makes your team a whole lot better,” said Coutts.

Perhaps Viola’s biggest fan on Monday was Greenberg.

“He smokes the ball,” the pitcher said. “He’s fast and can hit the ball far … I like him in the nine spot.”

Following Greenberg’s game-tying double, Nick Bagley swiftly grounded a single up the middle to give the Red Storm a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.

“I think we got some grit in us,” said Coutts. “We’ve gotten down a few times but have shown we can come back. Our kids seem pretty focused, and pretty determined.”

After retaking the lead, Coutts turned to flame-thrower Joe Cronin to get the final six outs of the game.

Cronin allowed only one walk and was helped by catcher Connor McCann, who gunned down Shannon at second base on a steal attempt to end the game.

“It’s a great benefit for us,” said Coutts, on having Cronin available at the end of games. “It’s one of those things, he could start and probably be one of our best pitchers, but he’s our best shortstop and I prefer to have a guy in the middle who can play defense. So, to be able to bring (Cronin) in and throw like that and get people out is a huge benefit. I don’t think to many other teams have that.”

Red Riots’ pitcher Shawn Shannon delivers a pitch during his team’s 6-5 loss to the Red Storm on Monday afternoon. Shannon suffered the loss, giving up six runs in five plus innings pitched. (Staff photo by Nate Boroyan)
Ben Greenberg watches a fastball sail from his fingertips to homeplate during his team’s 6-5 win. Greenberg picked up his third win on the season after, going five innings and surrendering five runs.