PORTSMOUTH — Good things happen to those who wait.

The Symmes Valley Vikings continued their late-season surge by handing the Portsmouth Notre Dame Titans their first Southern Ohio Conference loss 7-4 Wednesday.

“It’s just taken a while to get some confidence. We’re just so young. We made contact all day and everyone contributed,” said Vikings coach John Patterson.

“It was big to win today. We’re looking forward to the tournament.”

The Vikings went up 2-0 in the top of first inning.

Robbie Powell walked, Cody Bland singled and Jeremy Hatfield was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Gaga Patterson’s hard ground ball took a bad hop for a two-run single.

After the Titans got runs in the second and third innings, the Vikings got two in the third.

Ethan Wilson and Bland singled, moved up on a passed ball, and came home on a hit by Hatfield.

The lead went to 5-2 in the fifth when Bland and Sexton singled and Patterson doubled.

The Titans got a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Vikings got the run back in the sixth when J.J. Huff walked, stole second and scored on a hit by Powell.

The final run scored in the seventh inning.

Hatfield singled, moved up on Sexton’s sacrifice bunt, and Huff followed with an RBI single.

Symmes Valley (11-10, 9-5) travels to South Point Thursday.

Sym. Valley2020111=7113

Notre Dame1100110=453

Brice Sexton, Robbie Powell (7) and Cody Bland. Kevin Delabar, Trevin Coleman (5) and Trey LaValley. W-Sexton (3-K, 2-BB, 5-H, 1-ER). Save-Powell (0-K, 0-BB). L-Delabar (2-K, 1-BB). 2B-SV: Gage Patterson; PND: David Malone. Hitting-Symmes Valley: Robbie Powell 1-3, Ethan Wilson 1-3, Cody Bland 3-4, Jeremy Hatfield 1-3, Brice Sexton 1-3, Gaga Patterson 2-4, J.J. Huff 2-3; Notre Dame: Alex Davis 1-4, Aaron Noel 1-4, David Malone 1-2, Trevin Coleman 1-3, Trey LaValley 1-2.