The sixth inning of the second 11- and 12-year-old Little League state championship game was a familiar one for Bedford fans.

Trailing by three runs, the local all-stars made their usual comeback attempt. But this time, the rally fell short, and Portsmouth advanced to the regional Little League tournament in Bristol, Conn., with a 7-6 win on Sunday, July 26, at Windham’s Griffin Park.

Bedford also lost the previous day to Portsmouth, 4-0.

Kyle MacDonald led off the sixth-inning rally in game two with a walk, but the next two Bedford batters were retired. To anyone unfamiliar with Bedford’s all-star exploits, Portsmouth, at that point, seemed a cinch to represent New Hampshire in regionals.

Yet as they did all summer, the Bedford players fought, and Aidan Wheeler kept the line moving when he was hit by a pitch. Kyle Andersson brought the team within two runs thanks to an RBI single, and another run scored on a wild pitch.

His team trailing by a run, cleanup hitter Ryan Bliss sent a charge through his teammates when he roped a line drive. Despite the solid contact, the ball landed in the glove of the Portsmouth shortstop, ending the comeback.

“He hit the ball right on the screws,” said Bedford manager Henry Veilleux. “We were in the part of the lineup that we wanted to be in. They battled back, and the bottom of the sixth inning was typical of this team.”

In order to earn its matchup with Portsmouth, Bedford erased a five-run deficit against Windham and beat the winners’ bracket representative in consecutive games.

The second game with Portsmouth turned into a home run derby, partially aided by a steady breeze blowing out toward center field.

Portsmouth launched four home runs, and Bliss and Mac- Donald sent pitches over the fence for Bedford, with Mac- Donald’s drawing the score to 5-4 in the fourth inning.

The hard-hitting Andersson, who allowed four runs in 5-2/3 innings on the mound during game-one action, was held in check at the plate until his final-inning RBI.

“They were very aggressive with the way they approached him,” said Veilleux of his No. 3 hitter. “They had to pitch him like that because they knew they had Ryan Bliss standing behind him.”

Members of the team included Nick Angelini, Wheeler, Andersson, Bliss, Brett Veilleux, Brett Silva, MacDonald, Matt Tierney, Patrick McGinley, Ryan Lang, Tyler O’Brien, Robert Rizos and Kyle Fink.

Despite the loss, Henry Veilleux said his squad felt fortunate to have extended its season so deep into the summer.

“There are only 27 kids in New Hampshire who got to play in these games this weekend,” said Veilleux. “They realize they are pretty darn lucky, and it’s something they will never forget.”