Lincoln Little League's offense started strong. Portland North Little League pitcher Nate Smart finished stronger.

Smart allowed only one hit over five-plus innings after Lincoln's first three batters all reached safely, and Portland North scored in each of the game's first three innings to defeat Lincoln, 4-1, in the state championship game at Jamie Benson Field in Auburn.

With the win, Portland North captured its first state championship since 1996, and advanced to the New England Region tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.

Lincoln managed one run in its first inning rally, before Portland North took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning. Ryan Casale hit an infield grounder and came around to score following a pair of subsequent throwing errors. Later in the inning, three walks loaded the bases before Nick Volger scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

Mike Rovnak singled and later scored on a wild pitch as Portland North extended the lead in the second, and Luke Boyle doubled and scored on an error in the third.

Riley Leavitt's RBI fielders' choice provided Lincoln's only run before Smart escaped the first inning threat. Lincoln out-hit Portland North, 5-4, but stranded seven baserunners, including three in the final inning. Casale stranded the baserunners and closed out the win after Smart reached his pitch count limit.

"The bases were loaded, and I was a little nervous," said Portland North manager Ron Farr of Lincoln's last-ditch rally.

Farr, who coached a Portland North team to a state championship for the second time, compared his team favorably to the league's back-to-back state championship teams in 1995 and 1996.

"This team has more depth in pitching, and the kids play fundamentally sound," said Farr.

"It's a good all-around team," he added. "Good pitching. Good defense. Good hitting."

Farr would get little argument from his team's state tournament opponents, as Portland North opened the state tournament by sweeping past the state's other five district champions in the tournament's round-robin phase. Pitcher Caleb Frazier helped the District 6 winners start the tournament strongly, allowing only two hits and striking out eight in a 4-2 victory over Acadian Little League. Volger's two-run homer capped a three-run first inning rally, and Boyle added a solo home run in the fourth after Acadian had narrowed the Portland team's lead to a single run.

Portland North defeated Bangor East Little League, 9-3, then improved to 3-0 after riding Casale's eight strikeout effort to a 4-1 victory over Lewiston's Elliot Avenue Little League. Smart delivered a two-run single and Frazier drove in a run to highlight a three-run first inning, and Boyle later added another solo home run.

Boyle homered twice more the next day, and Frazier added three hits and three runs scored as Portland North handed Lincoln its first loss of the tournament by a 9-0 score. Both Lincoln and York Little Leagues hovered near the top of the standings entering the final day of round-robin games, and Portland needed a 5-4 victory over York on the final day of the round-robin schedule to seal its championship game berth. Lincoln soon joined them, rebounding from their earlier loss with a 5-0 victory over Acadian that gave the District 2 champions sole possession of second place.

Lincoln, which draws its players from numerous small communities in Lincoln County, reached the state championship game for the second time in the league's history. The team's three previous in the tournament had come by a combined four run margin, including a dramatic 12-11, eight inning victory over Bangor East on the third day of play. Lincoln forced extra innings with a five-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, then added a run in the bottom of the seventh to again pull even after Bangor had again moved in front. Bangor scored twice more in the top of the eighth, then Riley Leavitt's two-run homer in the bottom of the frame tied the score, and his twin brother Dylan later raced home from third on a passed ball to give Lincoln the win.