Kennebunk’s Nick Teguis is tagged out by Deering third baseman Mike Randall during Kennebunk’s 20-2, five-inning victory Tuesday night.

Ben McCanna / Press Herald photos.

More photos below.

BOX SCORE

Kennebunk 20 Deering 2 (5)

K- 000 9(11)- 20 6 0
D- 200 00- 2 2 3 

DeFeo and T. Lazos; Hill, Paisley (4), Jones (5), Sparks (5) and Alves, Hill (5)

K:
DeFeo (W 1-1

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D:
Hill (L, 0-1

Time: 1:49

PORTLAND—For three innings Tuesday evening at Hadlock Field, everything was going the Deering baseball team’s way.

One night after their first win of the 2019 season, over the reigning Class A South champions, no less, the Rams held a 2-0 lead over Kennebunk, thanks to senior shortstop Josh Paisley’s first inning RBI double and a second run scoring on a wild pitch.

Senior starter Luke Hill was cruising along on the mound as well, but everything changed in a disastrous fourth inning.

And the fifth would be even worse.

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Kennebunk capitalized on 11 Deering walks to score nine times in the top of the fourth to turn the game around and then added 11 more runs due to more Deering largesse in the fifth to roll to a 20-2 victory.

Kennebunk improved to 4-1 on the season and in the process, dropped Deering to 1-5.

Good start, rough finish

Deering took its lumps early, losing, 20-4, in five-innings, to visiting Marshwood in the opener, then falling at Noble (17-9) and Massasbesic (2-1), and at home to Bonny Eagle (17-5), before getting into the win column Monday at home over defending Class A South champion Gorham, 3-2.

Kennebunk has been involved in a shutout in all four of its games, beating host Windham (2-0), falling at home to Portland (10-0, in five-innings) and winning at home over Massabesic (1-0) and at Thornton Academy (1-0).

Last year, Deering won, 5-2, at Kennebunk.

Tuesday, on a 52 degree evening, with 13 mile per hour wind, Kennebunk returned the favor.

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Hill worked out of trouble in the top of the first, getting in a first-and-third jam before getting freshman third baseman Landon Schwartzman to ground out.

Deering then produced two runs in the bottom half against Kennebunk sophomore starting pitcher Dominic DeFeo.

Senior centerfielder Tre Fletcher led off with a sharp grounder to third and was thrown out at first, but Hill drew a walk and Paisley then crushed a pitch to the base of the Maine Monster and Hill came all the way around to barely score on a close play at the plate, as Paisley stopped at second with a double. Paisley then took third when sophomore rightfielder Bennett Berg grounded to short and came home for a 2-0 lead when DeFeo threw a wild pitch.

Fletcher then made a huge defensive play in the top of the second to help keep Kennebunk off the board.

After junior shortstop Nick Teguis walked leading off, sophomore first baseman Oliver Leonard singled to center, but Teguis tried to advance to third and that proved to be a bad idea, as Fletcher gunned a throw to junior third baseman Mike Randall, who applied the tag for the out. Senior second baseman Alex Champagne then sacrificed Leonard to second, but senior rightfielder Peter Lazos chased strike three and when the ball got away, sophomore catcher Blain Alves got to it and threw to first for the inning-ending out.

In the bottom half, DeFeo settled down, allowing just an infield single, before retiring the side.

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Hill remained strong in the third, working around a two-out walk to preserve the 2-0 lead.

In the bottom half, Deering went in order.

And that set the stage for the disastrous (if you’re a Deering fan) or bountiful (if you’re a Kennebunk fan) top of the fourth.

The visiting Rams would sent 15 batters to the plate, 11 of them walked and nine scored. Hill faced nine batters, walking seven, before being replaced by Paisley, who walked four, threw a wild pitch and balked.

Deering couldn’t respond in the bottom half, going in order.

Kennebunk then induced the 10-run mercy rule in the fifth against senior Mike Jones and junior Sam Sparks, this time sending 16 batters to the plate with 11 scoring. Six batters walked, two were hit by pitches and Deering compounded matters with two errors.

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DeFeo then ended it in the bottom of the fifth, getting junior Chaucey Aldo to ground out to short, sophomore Matthew Keast to do the same before striking out Fletcher to bring the 20-2 contest to a close.

DeFeo evened his record at 1-1 after allowing two runs on two hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out seven and got stronger as the game progressed.

Hill took the loss for Deering and is 0-1 on the season.

Deering walked 20 batters for the game.

Home and road

Kennebunk returns home Thursday to face Cheverus. Westbrook pays a visit Saturday.

Deering goes on the road for the next four games, playing at Thornton Academy Thursday, then visiting Scarborough, Falmouth and Windham.

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Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

Kennebunk sophomore Dominic DeFeo throws a strike. DeFeo went the distance and earned the victory.

Deering senior starter Luke Hill throws a pitch.

Kennebunk freshman Landon Schwartzman slides safely into second base as Deering sophomore Matthew Keast takes the throw.

Kennebunk junior Tommy Lazos steals a base.

Kennebunk junior Nick Teguis, left, is congratulated by junior Tommy Lazos after scoring one of the Rams’ many runs on a bases loaded walk.


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