PORTLAND — After committing an error that allowed Portland to sustain a game-tying rally in the fifth inning Saturday, Thornton Academy’s Brandon Hall stepped to the plate in the eighth inning with redemption on his mind.

He got it, hitting a triple that scored Mitch Jacques with the winning run as the Trojans handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season, 3-2 in an SMAA game at Hadlock Field.

Both teams are now 3-1.

Hall, who finished 3 for 4 with two runs batted in, turned on a thigh-high fastball from reliever Ryan Ruhlin and drove it deep to right field, where it just eluded the outstretched glove of Charles Chaison-Lapine.

Jacques, who drew a walk and stole second, scored easily.

“Every single at-bat I just try to put one right up through the middle where it came from,” Hall said. “He just left a pitch right where I like it, thigh-high, and I turned on it.”

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Hall, the Trojans’ catcher, allowed Portland to score its first run when he dropped a throw during a rundown in the fifth inning. A batter later, Zack Fortin scampered home from third on a double steal to tie the game at 2-2.

“Last season, a lot of what I did was I let the errors dwell,” said Hall, a sophomore who started the bulk of Thornton’s games behind the plate as a freshman. “This game, I made a mistake, but I didn’t ruin the game. I let it go.”

Ben Lambert threw all eight innings for Trojans, allowing four hits while striking out 13 against just one walk. He threw 71 of his 100 pitches for strikes.

It was a test of endurance for Lambert, who also pitched a complete game Tuesday in a 3-1 win over Biddeford.

“I wasn’t going to start Ben because he threw quite a few pitches (Tuesday). I’m glad he talked me into it,” Thornton Coach Ray Petit said. “He pitched outstanding. That’s the best I’ve seen Ben look on the mound.”

Lambert used a hard-breaking curveball to keep the Bulldogs’ young lineup off balance throughout. Of his 13 strikeouts, eight came on the curve, including four looking.

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“I was a little tired but it felt pretty good,” Lambert said. “My curve was on today and I got them to chase a lot with two strikes.”

Thornton took the lead in the third when a grounder off the bat of Lambert – that could have resulted in an inning-ending double play – went through the legs of second baseman Dom Tocci.

Two batters later, Hall’s two-out single plated Andrew Coleman.

Coleman scored again in the fifth. He grounded a double just inside the third-base bag and came home on Lambert’s double down the right-field line.

After Portland rallied to tie the game, Lambert retired the final 10 batters.

“We did get a little bit of momentum, but Lambert was dealing,” Portland Coach Mike Rutherford said. “Thirteen strikeouts, one walk, and we had to scrap for those two runs with a couple double steals.

“It’s nothing to hang our heads about. The guy just beat us.”


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