One big win

BIDDEFORD — The Biddeford baseball team received a big test on Tuesday afternoon, and passed it with flying colors.

The Tigers defeated Deering 4-3, thanks to a balk by Rams pitcher Jamie Ross with runners on first and third in the bottom of the seventh inning, securing the game for Biddeford.

The Tigers, the defending Western Class A champions, have now jumped out to a 2-0 start, collecting the two wins in a two day span.

“It gives us huge confidence,” Biddeford second baseman Chris Jones said. “Especially after last year. We just wanted to come out and have some confidence and play at a steady rate, not get too ahead of ourselves. It was a great win. They were ranked third in the preseason.”

Jones, who led the Tigers offensively with a 3 for 4 performance at the plate, was the runner on third when the balk occurred.

“I knew it was a balk, but I was waiting for the umpire to call it, because he was hesitant at first,” Jones said. “I don’t think he noticed it at first. I think [Ross] was thinking of doing the third-to-first [pickoff move] and forgot about it and just went to first and just didn’t throw it. It was a game of mistakes, and they made more than us today.”

By rule, on a pickoff play with runners on first and third, with the pitcher performing a spin move on the mound, he must throw the ball to first base on the play. Ross didn’t, which inflicted the balk.

Down 2-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers responded with back-to-back singles by Jones and Tyler Audie. Taylor Reuillard moved both runners over on a groundout to first, before sophomore outfielder Patrick Wilson hit a line shot that barely stayed within play down the rightfield line for a two-run single to give Biddeford a 3-2 lead.

“It was great, he came through with the hit, even more so on the mound,” Biddeford head coach Casey Roy said. “He took control of the game. We had a few guys last year, obviously Trevor [Fleurent] leaving a bit of a hole, Travis Vigneault, we had a few leaders graduate, though we have a lot coming back. We need someone to kind of fills those shoes a bit, and I think Taylor Reuillard, Pat Wilson have done a really nice job both hitting and [on defense].

Deering retaliated with an RBI double by John Miranda plated Ross to tie the game at 3-3. Both teams remained scoreless until the bottom of the seventh. Jones led the inning off with a base hit, and moved to second when Ross threw the ball into foul territory on a pickoff play. Two batters later, Reuillard made it to first on an error by Deering second baseman Matt Bevilaqua, moving Jones over to third base, before Ross proceeded to balk in the winning run on the very next play.

The Rams, an SMAA powerhouse in baseball known for its outstanding all-around play, struggled defensively, making four errors in the contest, as well as making multiple baserunning gaffes in the sixth inning.

“A lot of the time, the team that makes the least amount of mistakes comes out on top,” Jones said.

Biddeford scored its first run in the second inning. Josh Aube led the inning off with a walk, moving to second on a wild pitch, before scoring on an RBI single to right field by Robert Cote.

Wilson replaced Audie, who started the game on the mound, in the fifth inning and picked up the victory with three innings of relief. Audie pitched well in his first start of the season, allowing only one hit in the contest while striking out four batters. Roy said he replaced Audie in the fourth to save his arm early in the season.

“His arm was a little sore, and he was starting to get a little tired,” Roy said. “It’s early in the season, it’s cold, the pitch count really isn’t that high. For the most part, he was starting to get a little sore and it just seemed like the timing was right. It was a rough spot in the game, changing things up made sense. We have a lot of confidence in Pat as well. We didn’t think we were giving up the ship.”

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