LISBON FALLS — The line drive up the middle off his right leg dropped Lisbon High School freshman pitcher Kyle Bourget in the sixth inning of Monday’s Mountain Valley Conference baseball game against Mt. Abram.

Coach Randy Ridley sprinted to the mound, worried the ball had struck his pitcher’s shin.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh no! He has a broken bone and is lost for the season,’” said Ridley.

Luckily for all concerned, the ball hit Bourget above his knee, and the pitcher decided to press on, finishing off an impressive three-hit shutout in a 1-0 Greyhounds victory.

The win gives Lisbon a 4-5 mark, with rival Winthrop slated to visit on Wednesday (4:30 p.m.), while the Roadrunners dropped to 2-6.

“My mind started going crazy, who I had to bring in, who I had to move where, and I got out there and he started talking and wanted to continue,” said Ridley. “He seemed to get even better after that, as he knew he had to focus and throw strikes.”

“When it hit me, it hurt for a couple seconds, and after I stretched it I wanted to get up and keep going,” said Bourget, who struck out eight and walked two. “I had to concentrate and forget what happened. I just needed to keep throwing strikes.”

Bourget received the only run he needed in the fourth inning. Jo Osmond singled, stole two bases and sprinted home when Dalton Dunphy’s hard grounder was bobbled momentarily in the wet infield.

“One-to-nothing was going to be big,” said Ridley. “Later in the game, I was trying to get that extra run, knowing there weren’t going to be too many balls getting through with the way Kyle was pitching. We’re having good outings from our pitchers, and our fielding has gotten better every game (no errors). We still have work to do in the hitting department, but it’s coming around.”

Mt. Abram pitcher Josh Beedy was the hard-luck loser. He permitted six hits, struck out four and walked just one in his 80-pitch outing.

Out at home!

Lisbon threatened in the second inning. Brandon Hovey walked and advanced to third on a hit-and-run single by Aaron Boyington, who was 2-for-2. With two outs, Hovey tried to steal home, but Mt. Abram catcher Sol Fast managed to block the plate and make the tag to keep the game scoreless.

Bourget was wild in the early going. Of his 40 pitches through three innings, 19 were balls, with three, threeball counts.

“He started a little bit rough in the beginning, having not pitched in two weeks, but he found his rhythm in the second inning and threw balls that they swung at,” said Ridley. “He kept them off-balance, plus Mt. Abram swung at pitches they probably shouldn’t have, which helped.”

“I was down in the count early, and had to fight back and throw strikes,” said Bourget. “It was key to not put runners on base, and that was the difference in the game.”

Beedy doubled for Mt. Abram’s first hit with two outs in the fourth inning and advanced to third on a wild pitch. But, Bourget left Beedy stranded.

The Roadrunners put another base runner on third in the fifth with one out. Bourget struck out the next two hitters to escape.

A lead-off single by Mt. Abram’s Jay Cherard began the sixth, and Arthur Ryan scorched the liner off Bourget’s leg to put runners on first and second with one out. Bourget recovered, striking out two more Roadrunner hitters before retiring the side in order in the seventh.

Lisbon threatened in the sixth. With one out, Ryan Riordan singled and Dunphy doubled.

Hovey followed with a flyball to right, with Mt. Abram right fielder Tristen Dyer firing a strike to home for an inning-ending double play.

Hovey added a single for the ’Hounds.

Lisbon 1, Mt. Abram 0
At Lisbon High School

Mt. Abram — 000  000  0 — 0-3-1
Lisbon — 000  100  X — 1-6-0

Josh Beedy and Sol Fast; Kyle Bourget and Brandon Hovey.

Doubles — (MA) Josh Beedy; (L) Dalton Dunphy.

Repeat hitter — (L) Aaron Boyington.

Records — Lisbon 4-5, Mt. Abram 2-6.

Next for the Greyhounds — Wednesday at home against Winthrop, 4:30 p.m.

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