Topsham Post 202 first baseman Austin Berry applies the tag as Levi Tibbetts dives back into first base during the second inning of Thursday’s Junior American Legion baseball game at Bowdoinham Community School. Lisbon won the contest, 13-9. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
BOWDOINHAM — Lisbon batted around in the fourth inning, taking advantage of three Topsham Post 202 errors, plating eight runs to pull away for a 13-9 victory in Junior American Legion action at Bowdoinham Community School on Thursday.
The win moved Lisbon to 10-3, while Topsham fell to 3-11.
“We came out flat tonight and fell behind early,” Lisbon coach Scott Tibbetts said. “We got some breaks in the fourth and Levi (Levesque) battled for us on the mound.”
Levi Levesque entered the game in the third inning with the bases loaded, recorded the final two outs and held the Topsham hitters to three runs in 4 2/3 innings to secure the win for the visitors.
“I was playing first and coach looked over at me and asked how my arm felt,” said Levesque. “I told him fine and he brought me in.”
Levesque, who will be a senior next year at Lisbon High School, allowed three hits, struck out two, while walking one and hitting a batters. Hunter Brissette came in to get the final out, nailing down the win with a strikeout.
“We wanted to keep Levi’s pitch count down so we can use him after one day’s rest,” Tibbetts added.
Topsham grabbed the lead in the first collecting three hits off Lisbon starter Levi Tibbetts, with the Matt Orlando delivering a two-run single, followed by an RBI knock from Landon Chase.
Lisbon’s Levi Levesque fires a pitch during Thursday’s Junior American Legion baseball game at Bowdoinham Community School. Lisbon won the contest, 13-9. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
Lisbon answered with a pair in the second, but it may have been more if it wasn’t for the sharp defensive play from the home squad. Topsham starter Ty Knowlton erased a lead off-walk by immediately picking the runner off first. After a walk and a single put runners on first and third, Lisbon ran into its second out of the inning on the bases when Orlando fired to third base from behind the plate on a double steal, picking off the runner at third. Caleb Phillips tripled in a run and after Justin Le walked, Orlando gunned down another runner at third as Le attempted to take the base on a ball in the dirt to end the inning.
“We’ve been working on that play hard,” Topsham coach Chris Hickman said about the quick snap throw to third base on the double steal. “Matt hasn’t caught a lot for us and he executed it perfectly. He did a really good job for us tonight.”
Lisbon added another run in the third to tie the score, but Topsham quickly regained the lead in the bottom half, plating three more runs on five hits, chasing Lisbon starter Levi Tibbetts.
After Chris Brady and Shea Farrell hit singles to open the frame, Knowlton was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Left-handed hitting first basemen Austin Berry followed with a two-run single that dropped inside the left field line plating both Brady and Farrell. Orlando reached on an infield single and Chase knocked in his second run of the game to extend the Topsham lead to 6-3 through three innings.
Wheels come off
Gage Mitchell relieved Knowlton in the fourth to keep the starters pitch count manageable in order for him to be available to pitch in games this weekend.
Lisbon’s Ethan Brown slides safely into second base before Topsham shortstop Shea Farrell could apply the tag during Thursday’s Junior American Legion baseball game at Bowdoinham Community School. Lisbon won the contest, 13-9. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
With one out, Nick Ferrence singled and Ethan Brown doubled, while Phillips earned a walk to load the sacks. Mitchell struck out the next hitter, but a Jimmy Fitzsimmons pop up between the pitchers mound and home plate was not handled and a run scored. Evan Gagnon walked with the bases loaded sending it back to the top of the order. A misplayed pop up in the infield scored two more runs, extending the inning and Levesque made them pay with a two-run single, giving Lisbon a 10-6 lead. Levesque later scored on a throwing error.
“We just lost focus that inning,” Hickman said. “I thought we really had a good defensive team out there tonight, we just had some lapses.”
“We took advantage of some of their mistakes and turned them into runs,” Scott Tibbetts said.
Topsham scored three more runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run double from Brenton Cahill. Knowlton added a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to two runs.
That was as much as Topsham scored, only managing a pair of runners the rest of the way in the loss.
Topsham’s Ty Knowlton fires a pitch during Thursday’s Junior American Legion baseball game at Bowdoinham Community School. Lisbon won the contest, 13-9. (Eric Maxim / The Times Record)
Neil LaRochelle and Brown were the only repeat hitters in Lisbon’s 10-hit attack. Levesque finished with two RBIs, while Levi Tibbetts, Phillips and Jack Ramich each had one.
Topsham had 11 hits, led by multi-hit games from Cahill, Orlando, Chase and Brady. Berry, Orlando and Chase each had a pair of RBIs. Knowlton reached base three times with a hit by pitch and two walks, scoring two runs to go with his sac fly.
As the season winds down, Topsham will travel to Gray-New Gloucester Friday, play both Messalonskee and Skowhegan at home on Sunday, while they finish the regular season at home against Auburn on Monday.
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