With two down and a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh, Windham’s baseball team was unable to close the door on Massabesic. Four straight walks tied the game, and the Mustangs went on to win in extra innings, 5-4, Wednesday in Waterboro.

“It’s an ugly win,” said Massabesic coach Kevin Poulin, “but ugly counts.”

Eagles hurler Danny Williams didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning, and remained in command until he was just one out away from victory.

Williams and opposing starter Shawn Hall each threw more than 100 pitches, but Massabesic’s reliever, Nick Cessario, was able to work out of the jam he came into, while Windham’s bullpen was not as successful.

The Mustangs almost won the game in the seventh, but leftfielder Sean Lavery’s diving catch ended a rally that tied the game, but should have produced more than a single run. There were a number of fine defensive plays on both sides, including two double plays that were converted by the hosts.

“Both teams hadn’t played in a week and a half,” Eagles coach Scott Fennessy said. “I’m pretty pleased with our first time out (since a week of postponements because of rain) as far as being heads up, and our defense was pretty solid.”

Windham’s Jordan Scanlon walked to start the game and Derek Hanrahan’s half-swing single put two on. After a pair of strikeouts and a balk, Williams knocked in Scanlon with a single to right field. Hanrahan was thrown out at home on the play.

Williams, meanwhile, set down nine of the first 10 batters he faced. When Massabesic loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth on two errors and a walk, they were able to tie the score, but a force out at home and two strikeouts killed the rally.

The momentum carried from the field to the plate, and the Eagles brought in three in the top of the fifth, two scoring on Hanrahan’s single and the third on Nate Johnson’s bases-loaded walk.

Bryan Basinger got his team’s first hit when he rapped a liner, and he scored along with Jordan Knight on Ryan Knight’s single, making it 4-3.

Both starters got into trouble in the seventh. Hall loaded the bases and Cessario came in to get the final two outs. Williams got the first two outs and then filled the sacks with ‘Stangs. Fennessy had a tough decision to make.

“Danny pitched very well,” said the coach. “It was tough to take him out with two outs, but he was running out of gas.”

Scanlon came in, but it was a tense situation and it took him a bit to settle down. By then the contest was tied. Only Lavery’s prone grab prevented the game from slipping away right there.

In the top half of the eighth a double play erased an Eagles’ base runner and ended the inning. Then Massabesic’s Donny Morse doubled to start the game-winning rally, and a pair of infield errors loaded the bases again.

At that moment it appeared that the Mustangs might have botched their best chance to win as Poulin called for a suicide squeeze play. Cessario, at the plate, missed his bunt attempt, and Morse was trapped and tagged out.

Cessario then grounded out, and suddenly no outs had become two. Basinger, however, walked to load the bases again, and Shawn St. Pierre walked, sending home Jordan Knight for the win.

Cessario, whose primary pitch is the knuckleball, retired four out of the five batters he faced and got the save.

“I’m used to being in this situation,” the junior said. “I’m the guy we put in when we’re in a jam, especially after (Hall) throwing hard and me throwing slow.”

It was the sixth victory in a row for Massabesic, after starting the season with four losses. Windham drops to 4-5.

Fennessy said that, due to the recent rains, the Eagles play six games over the next six days.

“I was planning on using Jordan tomorrow, and now I can’t,” said the coach, “but we’ve got a lot of pitchers I was planning to get work, and now they’ll get their chance to be tested.”

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