LISBON CATCHER Nick Lerette, left, makes the tag on Winthrop base runner Bennett Brooks during an MVC high school baseball game at Lisbon Falls Saturday morning. Brooks was safe and the Rambers rolled to a 10-1 win.
Both the Winthrop and Lisbon baseball teams came into Saturday morning’s key Mountain Valley Conference matchup with just two losses on the season after both picking up easy wins on Friday.
LISBON BASE RUNNER Noah Francis is tagged out at third base by Winthrop shortstop Jacob Hickey (20) to complete a double play. Hickey had three hits to lead the Ramblers to a 10-1 win.
Winthrop left Lisbon with a 10-2 record, while the Greyhounds fell to 10-3, with Lisbon hosting St. Dom’s today and the Ramblers also in action today on the road at Mt. Abram.
LISBON SHORTSTOP Ryley Austin rolls over after making a diving catch of a line drive in a 10-1 loss to Winthrop on Saturday in Lisbon Falls. The Greyhounds fell to 10-3 and host St. Dom’s today at 4:30 p.m.
13 hits and nine earned runs in four-plus innings.
“Kyle got behind hitters early, and when that happens you have to rely on your fastball,” said Lisbon coach Randy Ridley. “They hit and put the ball in play, and we didn’t. They made the plays. Today wasn’t our day.”
“My youngsters, everybody was just hitting the ball and that is what you have to do,” said Winthrop coach Marc Fortin. “Ben was feeling good and after he got going he had enough today. His teammates made the plays behind him.”
Winthrop received big contributions from the bottom three hitters in the batting order.
“They are all sophomores,” said Fortin of Bennett Brooks (two singles, two runs scored), Jacob Hickey (two singles, double, three runs, two RBIs) and Adam Hachey (two singles, two RBIs, one run). “It was extremely important today.”
Down 1-0 in the third, Hickey doubled to the fence in center field and Hachey dropped a bunt single to set the table, with Allen’s sacrifice fly tying the game.
“In the third inning it was 8-9-1, and Adam and I said that we need to get it going and we did,” said Hickey. “We wanted to drive (Kyle’s) fastball early and drive it to the outfield.”
Lisbon jumps on top
The Greyhounds took a 1-0 lead in their first swings. RJ Sargent reached on an Allen throwing error, and Bourget walked. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base, and Sargent scored three pitches later when another pitch slipped to the backstop.
But, Lisbon failed to take advantage of its early opportunities against Allen, leaving two runners on in both the first and second frames.
“He got out of it early as we had a chance to get more runs in the first, and we had two runners in scoring position in the second and didn’t get the key hit,” said Ridley. “Allen battled and found his rhythm, and as a veteran pitcher he did what he was supposed to do.”
“The first inning is always hard for me to get comfortable, but once I got through the order the first time I settled down and the defense was fantastic, with a lot of one-pitch outs,” said Allen, who struck out three, walked two and hit a batter. “Kyle is probably the best pitcher in this conference, and our guys had some great at-bats today. We were very disciplined.”
Tied in the fourth, Brooks, Hickey, Hachey and Allen singled in succession for a 3- 1 lead, and the Ramblers put this one away in the fifth with six more runs. The first seven hitters reached in the frame against Bourget, with Hickey and Allen each driving in two runs for a 9-1 advantage. Bourget struck out seven, with Tyler Halls finishing up with three innings of relief. Halls struck out four, walked one, permitted one hit and one unearned run in the seventh (a Matt Sekerak sacrifice fly to score Allen) to complete the scoring.
“This is our biggest win of the season so far,” said Allen. “That is a very good team over there.”
“We just lost to a good team. We have to rebound,” said Ridley.
Dakota Carter had two hits for Winthrop, while Ryley Austin, Sargent and Austin Fournier each singled for Lisbon.
Winthrop 10,
Lisbon 1
Saturday, at Lisbon Winthrop — 001 260 1 — 10-14-2 Lisbon — 100 000 0 — 1- 3-1 Ben Allen and Dakota Carter; Kyle Bourget, Tyler Halls (5) and Nick Lerette. Doubles — (W) Jacob Hickey, Ben Allen. Repeat hitters — (W) Jacob Hickey (3), Adam Hachey, Dakota Carter, Bennett Brooks, Ben Allen (3). Records — Winthrop 10-2, Lisbon 10-3. Up next for the Greyhounds — Today at home against St. Dom’s, 4:30 p.m.
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