GRAY — Gray-New Gloucester significantly bolstered its confidence, and its playoff prospects, with a 5-3 baseball win Tuesday over Wells, the top team in the Class B South Heal point standings.

On Wednesday, the Patriots encountered another one of the region’s top teams in York and learned they still have some work to do if they want to challenge the elite in the postseason.

York rocked pitcher Josiah Rottari after his first time through the order, while its own starter, James Henry Bock, got much stronger after his first time through the Patriots’ lineup as the Wildcats pulled away for an 11-1 win in six innings.

Riley Linn and Tommy Carr led York’s 15-hit attack with three hits apiece.

Nick McCann led Gray-New Gloucester with two hits.

Both teams are now 8-6.

Advertisement

Bock wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning, then kept the damage to a bare minimum in the second inning after giving up back-to-back singles to Cooper Winslow and Aidan Sweeney. Winslow came around to score the Patriots’ only run on Cam Usher’s groundout.

That started a string of 10 batters in a row retired by Bock, which coincided with the Wildcats grabbing the lead and pulling away.

York defeated the Patriots 16-4 earlier this month in York.

“Jack Kelley threw against them the last time and told me to work around the plate and go through their lineup once to see how they swing at the ball and then adjust,” Bock said.

“All of the games he’s thrown, he’s battled through the ups and the downs, but he’s always come out real strong at the end,” York Coach Nick Hanlon said.

Linn tied it in the third with an RBI single, then scored the go-ahead run on Tim MacDonald’s double.

Advertisement

York broke it open with a five-run fourth, sparked by Jake Sullivan’s double. An error and a pinch-hit double by Jack Kelley made it 4-1. RBI singles by Linn and MacDonald capped the outburst.

“What we’ve been preaching, against any of the teams we’ve faced, is line drives and ground balls,” Hanlon said. “We’ve got guys who can hit for power, but the field here is huge, so there’s no reason to try and hit it over anyone’s head. We definitely shortened up a little bit and tried to put the ball in play. From there, good things happen.”

The Wildcats kept the bats going against reliever Colby Saunders, scoring four runs over the next two innings.

The Patriots, meanwhile, made solid contact against Bock but didn’t get another base runner until McCann’s two-out single in the fifth.

“We knew that York was going to hit, and they did,” Gray-New Gloucester Coach Brad Smith said. “Like I told the kids (Tuesday), put that in the rear-view mirror. We’ve got to focus on this game today. And we’ve got another big game coming up. Our last four games are against the top four teams in the Heals (Wells, York, Freeport and Cape Elizabeth), so there’s no place to hide. We answered the bell (Tuesday), and hopefully we can at least get a split in the next two games.”

Bock credited the defense behind him, which — led by Linn and MacDonald on the left side of the infield and outfielders Riley Johnston, Shane Pidgeon and Alex Neilson — made only one error.

“It’s nice when they’re fielding the way they usually are,” said Bock, who allowed one walk and five hits and didn’t strike anyone out. “I’ve got good guys behind me, so when I put the trust in them, it makes it easy for me.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.