Biddeford catcher Chantelle Bouchard prepares to tag out Portland baserunner Jordan King in the third inning of the Tigers’ 4-2 win over the Bulldogs in a Class A softball prelim. Left fielder Hannah Gosselin, who celebrated her 15th birthday Tuesday, picked up an assist on the throw. (ANTHONY LOMBARDI/JOURNAL TRIBUNE)

BIDDEFORD – The Biddeford Tigers survive to play another day.

Biddeford withstood a furious seventh-inning rally by the Portland Bulldogs to win 4-2 Tuesday and advance to the Class A state softball quarterfinals.

“People are noticing that Biddeford is competitive – they play teams tough,” said Biddeford coach Mike Fecteau. “(We’ve) got a good group of seniors, and they don’t want it to be their last game. They’re going to fight to the end. That’s what Biddeford kids do.”

Biddeford’s senior class – Taylor Wildes, Olivia Whittaker, Makayla Jean-Paul, Harmonie Coolbroth, Chantel Perreault and Lexi Matteau – were freshmen in 2016, the last time the Tigers wore the Class A crown. None of the current group of elder statesman played much that season, Fecteau said, but the seniors’ left their mark against Portland (5-12).

Jean-Paul opened the scoring in the second on a sacrifice fly that scored Wildes from third. She added the second run of the game on a single up the middle in the fourth that brought sophomore Anna Lavigne around to score from second base, and Wildes and Matteau batted in the third and fourth Tigers runs, respectively.

Matteau also earned the win on the mound, pitching a complete game while allowing two runs on five hits and five walks. The senior struck out five Bulldog hitters, but Fecteau didn’t think his ace had her best fastball at her disposal even though she didn’t allow a hit until an Elaina Legere single in the fourth.

Matteau’s counterpart, Portland senior Jill Joyce, pitched a stellar game in defeat. Joyce pitched six innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and a walk less than two weeks after Biddeford (11-6) roughed her up for nine runs, seven earned, in one inning in the Tigers 19-0 win over the Bulldogs on May 23. Joyce kept Biddeford batters off-balance by getting ahead in the count and then using an effective changeup to neutralize what had been a hot-hitting offense down the stretch of the season.

Portland coach Robbie Ferrante didn’t know how his team would respond on Tuesday, he said, but he felt a collective focus from his roster on the bus ride to Biddeford. After Joyce retired the Tigers in order on three grounders in the first, Ferrante knew his team was going to give Biddeford all they could handle.

“They didn’t quit. They battled,” Ferrante said. “I’m really proud of (Joyce). The kids look up to her.”

Trailing 4-0 with one out in the seventh, four consecutive Portland hitters reached base to cut the margin in half. Legere then flied out on a rocket fly ball to deep left field that looked like it had a chance to leave the park off of the bat. When the ball dropped into Biddeford left fielder Hannah Gosselin’s glove, it was the second out of the inning.

“I thought it was gone,” Joyce said. “And then she caught it. Heartbreaking.”

Fecteau called timeout after the play and held a brief meeting on the mound. He looked at Matteau and the rest of the infield, told them to relax, knock the ball down and make an out. Four pitches later, Joyce grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the ballgame and her notable one-year career at Portland High.

Happy Birthday

Gosselin celebrated her 15th birthday Tuesday with an impressive throw from left field that gunned down Portland’s Jordan King at home plate. Biddeford catcher Chantelle Bouchard made a nice play on the back end, grabbing the ball from mid-air after it had popped out of her glove and tagging King in time. Gosselin also had a pair of hits in the Tigers win. 

Up Next

Portland’s season comes to a close.

Biddeford faces Noble on Thursday with a trip to the semifinals at stake. The Knights (14-2 ) earned a first-round bye and have been idle since May 27. Noble beat Biddeford 14-3 when the teams matched up May 20.