SOUTH PORTLAND — Fayette-Staples had the offense, but unfortunately for the Saco squad, its pitching abandoned it during a tough two-day stretch in the American Legion state tournament at Wainright Complex as Augusta ousted the squad 19-9 during a 90-degree Thursday afternoon.
Fayette-Staples pitching and defense allowed 41 runs in two games, going 0-2 in the double-elimination tournament.
“We just didn’t throw strikes,” Fayette-Staples coach Ray Petit said. “We got into a lot of hitting counts and got the ball up too often.”
Against Augusta, the Zone 2 runner-up, the Saco team allowed 15 hits in the shortened-seven inning game (mercy rule took effect).
The home-base team also commited three errors leading to six unearned runs.
“Our defense didn’t come through at times,” Petit said. “You need to be playing your best baseball during this tournament and we just didn’t have it.”
Fayette-Staples’ outcome wasn’t for a lack of effort as it battled back from deficits of 10 runs and nine runs, at one point cutting the deficit to seven runs.
After falling behind 10-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the squad found its hitting stroke.
Max Dube lead off the inning with a walk and Sam Canales plated Dube for Fayette-Staples’ first run of the game hitting into a fielder’s choice.
Steve Trask then bolted a double to right field that plated Chris Stasio and Samuel Butts, cutting the deficit to 10-3.
Augusta scored four more runs in the bottom of the fifth, but Fayette-Staples refused to give in in the top of the sixth.
Dube laced a one-out single to right and then Butts ripped a two-out single to right. Canales followed that with a double to center scoring Dube for a 14-4 score.
The two-out magic continued as Trask hit his second bouble of the game, a sharply curved shot to right that scored Butts and Canales for a 14-6 score.
Fayette-Staples added one more run when the Augusta second baseman couldn’t handle Alex Richardson-Newton’s rip. The error allowed Trask to score making it 14-7.
“Our guys didn’t show any quit,” Petit said. “They kept battling.”
While the offense found its groove, the defense and pitching couldn’t stop the bleeding as Augusta scored four more runs in the bottom of the sixth making it 18-7.
In the top of the seventh Stasio ripped an RBI single to center field plating Ryan Leach and then Butts nailed an RBI single that plated Alex Jacques making it 18-9.
Augusta scored the final run in the bottom of the seventh making the score 19-9 and invoking the 10-run mercy rule, ending the game.
“We just felt that if we could hold them we had a chance to win, which is why I kept the shift on in the (bottom of the seventh),” Petit said. “Unfortunately we just couldn’t get over that hump today.”
— Contact Al Edwards at 282-1535, ext. 317.
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