BIDDEFORD — The Thornton Academy baseball team got three home runs and a strong pitching performance as the Trojans cruised to a 10-1 win over rival Biddeford on Saturday afternoon.

TA first baseman Evan Balzano led the Trojans’ offensive attack with two home runs and five RBIs and Adam Gibbons added a pinch-hit bomb in the win.

“They have a lot of big, strong kids on their team and if you make a pitch that’s not where it’s suppose to be, they will make you pay for it. They had three home runs today and made us pay for a lot of things,” said Biddeford coach Keith Leblanc.

The Trojans would get another stellar performance from ace Ben Lambert, who went 6 1/3 innings and allowed just one run on five hits, while striking out 10.

“You know what you are going to get out of him, you’re going to get six, seven innings,” said TA coach Ray Petit of Lambert.

TA would jump out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first. Luke Chessie led off the game with a walk and Brogan Searle-Belanger followed with a single. Following a fly out, Balzano would come through with a three-run homer. The Trojans would add two more runs on RBI hits from Chase Wescott and Josh LePauloue.

“That first ball he hit was a line drive, he hit that really well … he’s been hitting the ball well all year. He works hard in the cage, he works hard in practice and it’s showing,” said Petit of Balzano.

Biddeford answered with one run in the bottom of the first as Kerry Crepeau led off the inning with a double and scored on a single from Brady Crepeau.

Lambert would settle down after the first inning and allowed just three hits over the next five-plus innings.

The TA bats went quiet over the next three innings, but the Trojans would get a boost when Petit made a call to the bench.

Gibbons stepped to the plate with Searle-Belanger at second after a single and stolen base – and the pinch-hitter sent a shot over the centerfield wall to make it 7-2.

TA would add three more runs in the seventh inning. Searle-Belanger, who scored three times on the day, would lead off the inning with a single and scored on a double from Ben Lambert.

Lambert would cross the plate when Balzano hit his second homer of the game.

“I just got some fast balls over the plate and was able to drive the ball well. It always feels good to do that … I was happy to find two pitches to hit,” said Balzano.

Biddeford’s Owen Sullivan, who had two hits on the day, would lead off the bottom of the seventh with a single, but Lambert would eventually get one out and Chessie came on in relief and closed out the game.

Petit was happy to get a win over a tough Biddeford club.

“They are a good team. They lost a lot of close games early and sometimes that can play with your psyche, but they are a good team and you always worry when you play them, it doesn’t matter what their record is, they’re tough kids and they play hard,” said Petit of the Tigers.

The Trojans, who are now 10-2 on the season, currently sit in second in the Class A South standings – and Balzano believes they are ready for the stretch run.

“I think we’re going to make a good run. Things are looking good right now and we just need to take it one game at a time, one at-bat, one inning at a time and just work hard every day,” said Balzano.

The Tigers dropped to 3-9 with the loss, but according to Leblanc, the playoffs are still in reach.

“We have four games left and, the way that I kind of see it, we need to win three out of four and maybe get some help to make the playoffs,” said Leblanc, who believes his team will continue to fight. “We can still make the playoffs, there just needs to be that urgency every game. We have to play do-or-die and every game is a playoff game right now.”

Biddeford is back in action on Tuesday when the Tigers visit South Portland. Thornton Academy will travel to Cheverus on Tuesday.

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.