BATH

Chris Paulus was barely able to remember the last home run that he hit.

“I believe it was back in Little League,” said the first baseman after launching his first varsity dinger in a 6-5 Morse High School baseball victory over Oceanside on Wednesday.

The Shipbuilders improved to 3-1 with the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B victory over the 1-3 Mariners, thanks in large part to Paulus’ three-run first-inning home run that capped a fourrun uprising.

“I wasn’t expecting anything there, especially after I fouled off the first pitch down the left-field line,” said Paulus. “The second pitch I got a good clean swing on, ran to first thinking it was going to be double and realized it was over the fence.”

The quick start was important as Oceanside made a seventh-inning bid to tie the game, but reliever Liam McDonough forced a flyball to end it as the Mariners left the bases loaded after scoring two runs to draw within a run.

Morse starting pitcher Trenton Moore threw 110 pitches over 6.2 innings, with three strikeouts, three walks and 11 hits allowed. He pitched out of trouble throughout, leaving eight Mariners on base.

“We made some key plays, and we wanted to allow Trenton to finish the game out before bringing Liam in,” said Morse coach Garrett Olson. “I am pleased where we are right now. We have a bright future for these kids and are still pretty young. We have a long way to go.”

Strong start

With one out in the first inning, Aaron Barrett, Liam McDonough and Paul Whalen singled for a 1-0 Shipbuilders lead. Paulus drove a 1-1 pitch from Oceanside starter Drew Townsend well past the left-field fence for a 4-0 lead.

The Mariners scored a run in the second on an RBI single by Thomas Curtis, driving in Nick Mazurek, who had doubled.

Morse kept the bats going against Townsend in the home half of the second. Moore tripled to the gap in rightcenter field. After Barrett walked and stole second, McDonough’s long flyball brought in Moore and Whalen delivered his second run-scoring single for a 6-1 advantage.

“Coming into the year, we expected to have a solid defense and good pitching, and so far the hitting has been stepping up, hitting the ball hard one through nine,” said Olson. “Paulus swung the bat awesome today. We had a lot of hits today and put the ball in play. That is all that you can ask for.”

Oceanside refused to go away, plating two runs in the third to get to 6-3.

The Mariners turned to Ryan Allender, who kept the Shipbuilders off the board the rest of the way despite running into trouble throughout his 4.1- innings of relief (four strikeouts, six hits).

Moore left two Mariners on base in both the fifth and sixth frames. In the seventh, Allender (3-for-3, two doubles) singled and Zac Roman (4-for-4, all singles) reached. A walk to Townsend loaded the bases with one out, and Moore retired clean-up hitter J.T. Tobin on an infield flyball.

But, Moore walked Mazurek to force in a run, and McDonough hit Dan Hendricks with a pitch to make for a 6-5 contest. Curtis hit a high pop up in the infield, and third baseman Andrew LaCavera battled the wind to make a circus catch to end it.

McDonough, Whalen, Paulus, Ethan Winglass and Zach Holbrook combined to go 10-for-14 at the plate for the Shipbuilders.

Morse 6, Oceanside 5

At McMann Athletic Complex
Oceanside — 012 000 2 — 5-11-0
Morse — 420 000 x — 6-13-1
Drew Townsend, Ryan Allender (2) and J.T. Tobin; Trenton
Moore, Liam McDonough (7) and Aaron Doughty.
Doubles — (O) Nick Mazurek, Ryan Allender 2; (Mo) Zach
Holbrook.
Triple — (Mo) Trenton Moore.
Home run — (Mo) Chris Paulus.
Repeat hitters — (O) Zac Roman 4, Nick Mazurek, Ryan
Allender 3; (Mo) Liam McDonough, Paul Whalen 3, Ethan
Winglass, Zach Holbrook.
Records — Morse 3-1, Oceanside 1-3.
Next for the Shipbuilders — Friday at Mt. View, 4 p.m.