BRUNSWICK

It didn’t take long for the first game of the season between the Brunswick and Mt. Ararat High School baseball teams to be decided, as the Dragons piled on 12 runs en route to a 12-2 victory in just six innings, placing the 10-run rule in affect in Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference play.

“I think what helped was that we got on them early,” Dragons head coach Luke Potter said after the game. “We hit first and that was good for us. We’ve done that two games in a row now and it feels good. We’re making things happen and we’re taking advantage of the mistakes that they were making. But, that’s (Mt. Ararat) a young team and I don’t think we saw them at their best.”

“I have four freshmen in the starting lineup and two sophomores,” Eagles coach Bob Neron said. “I expect them to make mistakes. They’re going to learn from them and we’ll move on and hopefully down the road it’ll make them a better team. I know it will, they’re good athletes.”

Senior left-hander Charlie Lowell took the hill for the Dragons (2-0), pitching all six innings while tossing an even 100 pitches on the afternoon. He struck out two batters, while walking four, allowing only three hits in the 27 batters that he faced.

“After working out some kinks, it all fell into place well,” Lowell said about his performance. “I just need to keep my fastball down. I pitch to contact, that’s what I do. I’m not a strikeout guy. I just rely on my teammates to make the plays.”

Things to come

After retiring three of the first four hitters he faced, Lowell and his teammates went to work at the plate. Cam Berry took the first pitch that he saw and drove it up the middle for a single, then moved to second when Will Bessey was hit by a pitch. Lowell loaded the bases with a well-executed hit-and-run play, singling into right field and scoring Berry.

Josh Goddard and John Parker followed with a sacrifice fly and an infield single, respectively to put Brunswick up 3-0.

Mt. Ararat (0-2) responded in the top of the second with a run of its own. Nick Merrill walked with one out, advanced to second on a ground out and then attempted to head to third on a fielding error. After being caught in a rundown for a moment, a throwing error allowed Merrill to round third and score.

The Dragons showed no signs of being affected, hitting through the lineup and plating seven more runs to bring the score to 10-2. However, only three hits were recorded, with two errors being committed in the process.

Harper Moutal was brought into the game for the Eagles to replace Liam Brannigan, who lasted 1 1-3 innings, giving up three hits and walking two batters over 52 pitches. Moutal was able to shut the Dragons down until the bottom of the sixth, but gave the Eagles some sense of relief.

“I felt pretty good,” Moutal said. “I just tried to throw strikes and let the fielders make the plays. We’re young, so communication is going to be big down the road. We just need to put the ball in play a little more and get some hits.”

With the score still at 10-2 in the sixth after the Eagles tacked on another run in the third, Parker led off by getting hit by a pitch, but was retired on a fielder’s choice, putting Pearson Cost on first. Thomas Hanson popped up to Eagles first baseman Mason Griffin for the second out, but Bobby Lewis kept the inning alive with a seeing-eye single to left field.

Elias Henze, who entered into the game at shortstop in the fifth inning, blasted the first pitch he saw to straightaway center field for a double, forcing in the final two runs of the ball game.

“He was key to giving us a chance,” Neron said of Moutal despite the way the game ended. “What he gave us was a chance to come back and win. He pretty much shut them down until this last inning. He’s going to get a start, he throws strikes, he’s not over powering, but he gives his team a chance to win every time he’s out there.”

“I still wish we had more time outside,” Potter said about what his team needs to do to continue moving forward. “I think we played pretty well all the way around, we communicated well offensively and defensively, but we got to get better at that and part of that comes from being outside. It was a good day for us. I wish that we had pounced a little bit more and often, but we played baseball the right way today.”

Brunswick 12,
Mt. Ararat 2

Friday at Brunswick
Mt. Ararat — 011 000 — 2- 3-2
Brunswick — 370 002 — 12-10-3
Liam Brannigan, Harper Moutal (2)
and Cam Cox; Charlie Lowell and
Bobby Lewis.
Doubles — (MtA) Ryan Mello; (B)
Elias Henze.
Repeat hitters — (B) Charlie Lowell,
Bobby Lewis.
Records — Brunswick 2-0; Mt.
Ararat 0-2.
Up next for the Dragons — Today at
Oxford Hills, 4 p.m.
Up next for the Eagles — Home
today against Messalonskee, 4 p.m.