BRUNSWICK

John Parker sat in the Brunswick dugout between innings, alternating between sitting on the bench and rising to his feet, trying to stay warm and loose.

The Dragons’ starting pitcher had a long time to wait in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but he was OK with that considering his teammates were putting up runs in a 10-2 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference high school baseball win over Brewer in a battle of early-season unbeatens on Wednesday.

The victory gives Brunswick a 3- 0 mark, with its second two-hour excursion slated for Friday when the Dragons visit Bangor.

“It was difficult, just trying to stay pumped up and warm in the dugout,” said Parker, who threw 100 pitches over six solid frames with 10 strikeouts, two walks and four hits allowed. “The fastball was the main thing that I threw. They just never showed that they could hit it.”

“In that sixth inning, you could tell that he had to sit around for a long time,” said Brunswick coach Luke Potter of Parker. “It was cold. He was still throwing fine and his arm was fine, but it was the feel off of his fingertips. That is tough to come back from after you have been sitting for a little while.”

Parker received plenty of run support, although the Dragons produced just four hits. Still, Brunswick manufactured runs, beginning in the third inning when Brewer starting pitcher Drew Hutchins, after retiring the first six Brunswick hitters, walked Elias Henze. With Henze running on the next pitch, Pearson Cost dropped down a near-perfect bunt along the third-base line, with Henze chugging into third to put runners at the corners with no outs.

“That was a spark that got us going, and we were able to get runners into scoring position,” said Potter of the bunt. “Days like this are hard. Maine baseball, you are going to have passed balls, walks, hit batters, and we ended up capitalizing on them. We were looking for that jump, and we got it and were lucky enough to get a lead and keep it.”

Ryan Brescia followed with a groundball to the mound. Hutchins fired to third, but Henze beat the tag to load the bases. Walks to Will Bessey and Ryan Maciejewski forced in a pair of runs, and Adam Casey singled to center to score Brescia for a 3-0 Dragons lead.

“We’re a very aggressive team, trying to get the bat on the ball, steal as many bases as we can and play smallball,” said Casey, who was 3-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a triple. “We are a very smart team, and we are doing anything that we can to score runs, whether it is a bloop, groundball or passed ball.”

Brunswick manufactured another run in the fourth without the benefit of a hit. Henze (three walks, three runs scored) led off with a free pass, stole second and third, and scored on a wild pitch for a 4-0 Brunswick advantage.

Defensively, Brunswick picked Parker up by turning a double play in the fourth and fifth frames.

“Our team chemistry is great,” said Parker.

Big fifth

After walking Maciejewski to open the fifth inning, Hutchins (four innings, 82 pitches, three strikeouts, five walks, two hits) was relieved by Jack Corey, who was greeted by a single from Casey. One out later, Charlie Lowell was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Brady Larson’s groundball was misplayed for an error as two Dragons scored for a 7-0 lead. A balk plated Lowell, and a sacrifice fly by Cost upped Brunswick’s advantage to 9-0.

Parker ran into trouble in the sixth. Chase Allen (3-for-4) singled for the third time and Evan Riva walked. An error loaded the bases, and Allen scored on a wild pitch. Drew Lunt’s groundball allowed Riva to score the second run for the Witches (2-1).

Casey tripled with one out in the sixth and came home a groundball by Parker to complete the scoring.

Nick Thibeault relieved Parker for the seventh, and pitched a seven-pitch 1-2-3 frame.

For Potter, he is working to have his team play with a certain mindset.

“It doesn’t matter who we are playing or the name on the jersey, we are focusing on beating the game of baseball, and they have been good at adopting that early in the season,” said Potter. “Today, we kept on it, stayed after it, and we came through.”

Corey pitched two innings for Brewer. He allowed five runs, one earned, on two hits and one walk with one strikeout.

Brunswick 10, Brewer 2

	Brunswick
Brewer —		000	002	0	—	2-4-2
Brunswick	—	003	151	X	—	10-4-	2

Drew Hutchins, Jack Corey (5) and Alex
Maxsimic; John Parker, Nick Thibeault (7) and
Ryan Maciejewski.
Triple — (Brun) Adam Casey.
Repeat hitters — (Brew) Chase Allen (3);
(Brun) Adam Casey (3).
Records — Brunswick 3-0, Brewer 2-1.
Up next for Brunswick — Friday at Bangor, 4
p.m.