CUMBERLAND — On a day when Kennebunk’s offense went cold, leaving eight runners on base, the Rams received the help they needed from their pitching and defense. Ben Lary pitched to contact, and the Ram fielders flashed their leather in a 2-1 victory over Greely in a WMC baseball game at Twin Brooks Recreation Area Friday.

Kennebunk (10-5) did all its damage at the plate in the top of the first inning, scoring two runs on a walk, two singles and a throwing error on a stolen base attempt. Eric Aiken drew a one-out walk on a 3-2 pitch, followed by base hits from Lary and Kip Richard ”“ with the latter driving in one run. Lary then scored when Richard’s attempt to steal second forced a bad throw by Greely (11-4) catcher Dylan Fried.

Lary then went to work on the mound, and save for an unearned run in the second he was brilliant for seven innings. He scattered six hits, struck out two and walked two batters. He also got plenty of help from his defense, which was active all game thanks to his pitching style.

“We got great pitching today from Ben. Probably as well as he’s pitched in his career here,” said Kennebunk head coach Brian Dill.

Lary wasn’t immune to getting into jams over his seven innings, but was able to get out of most of them.

The only trouble he wasn’t able to get out of came in the bottom of the second. Will Bryant led off with a double to deep right-center, then moved to third on Cal Soule’s groundout. Chaz Reade grounded out to shortstop Ryan Coughlan, who kept Bryant at third before firing to first for the second out. Lary looked like he was going to strand Bryant at third, but Zak Novak’s hard grounder went between the legs of second baseman Justin Wiggins to bring home the Rangers’ lone run.

“We’re pretty good defensively. We’ve been sloppy at times, but we had a lot of big plays over the season that got us out of innings,” said Dill.

The Rams added to that list of big inning-ending plays often against the Rangers. Lary induced inning-ending double plays in the first and the sixth and snared a screaming liner by Miles Shields to end the third. Wiggins atoned for us mistake in the second by gobbling up grounders to end the fourth and the sixth.

“That was definitely the key to everything. They had some runners in a couple of those innings and we were able to get out of innings,” said Dill. “Huge when you can make plays.”

First baseman Richie Platt made a trio of plays defensively to sway the game in Kennebunk’s favor, including back-to-back gems to end the game.

He showed focus to end the bottom of the fifth, as he received a throw from Coughlan too late to get Shields out on a grounder, but Platt instinctively threw across to the diamond to third baseman Aiken to get Justin Leeman out to end the inning.

Platt turned a double play with a little luck with one on and no outs in the bottom of the seventh. Fried popped up a bunt that Platt charged on a caught, then turned and threw to Wiggins in time to get pinch runner Andrew Therriault out at first.

“We actually had a pickoff play on that bunt. We figured they were going to bunt there. The pitch was supposed to be unbuntable. We were supposed to pitch out and throw back to the second baseman,” said Dill. “It was buntable ”“ I guess it worked out in our favor, right to Richie.”

Platt then stretched out to catch a relay throw from Coughlan on a grounder by Austin Nowinski to end the game.

It was a nail-biting seven innings for the Rams, who squandered their chances over the final six. They left two runners on in the second, then whiffed with the bases loaded in the third. Greely starter Ryan Twitchell scattered three hits and five walks over four innings with the help of six strikeouts ”“ including two to end innings ”“ and reliever Gabe Axelson allowed just one hit before retiring the final eight Kennebunk batters.

Dill called the win the Rams’ biggest of the season, and added that the Rangers rarely lose on their home field.

“We knew it was a game where you make a statement to the rest of the league. We battled with most everybody. We had a win against Falmouth, but this is a big win for us right now at this point in the season,” said Dill. “We’re now ready to finish the season and hopefully make a little noise in the playoffs. If we play defense like that we got a shot I think.”

— Sports Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.