TOPSHAM POST 202’S Brady Mitchell runs through the bag at first base after grounding out to the shortstop in Bowdoinham on Wednesday. Topsham fell to 0-3 on the young season after an 11-8 loss to the 2-0 Cheverus-based team. ERIC MAXIM / TIMES RECORD STAFF
BOWDOINHAM
Thirsty Turf scored six runs in the first two innings and held on for an 11-8 victory over Topsham Post 202 in Junior American Legion baseball action Wednesday evening.
Thirsty Turf, made up of primarily Cheverus High School players, took advantage of 12 Post 202 walks and three hit batsmen, collecting seven hits along the way.
Topsham racked up eight hits, including three each from Lukas Holman and Trey Booty, falling to 0-3 on the season.
Topsham starter Eli Ouellette had a slow start to the game in the first, allowing a couple of runs while avoiding further damage by recording a strikeout to strand three TT runners.
Post 202 bats quickly responded in the home half of the inning. After Ouellette walked to open the frame, Holden Brannan singled and Holman collected an infield knock, scoring the leadoff batter. A Connor Smith fielder’s choice two batters later tied the score at 2-2.
The top of the second did not fare any better for the home team. A pair of hit batters sandwiched around a walk loaded the bases for TT. After Ouellette struck out the next hitter, Luke Knowles hit a fly ball to left, deep enough to score the runner from third. After a walk to the following hitter, Post 202 coach Chris Hickman relieved his starter.
TOPSHAM POST 202’S Lukas Holman delivers a pitch against Thirsty Turf in Junior American Legion baseball action on Wednesday. Topsham lost to Cheverus, 11-8. ERIC MAXIM / TIMES RECORD STAFF
“It’s been a problem for us so far this year,” Hickman said. “We’ve struggled to find the strike zone and are putting on too many runners.”
Right fielder Jack Tracy greeted reliever Coenradt Taylor with an RBI single to give the TT squad a 5-2 lead. Another run crossed the plate after a Topsham error and wild pitch for a four-run lead. Taylor pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four and walking two.
Topsham picked up a run in the third when Booty hit a two-out double and came around to score on Isaak Flaming’s RBI hit.
Cheverus extended its lead to five runs in the fifth after an RBI double by Tracy, who later scored on a wild pitch.
COENRADT TAYLOR of Post 202 fires a pitch during the third inning of a Junior Legion game against Thirsty Turf. The team out of Portland downed the Topsham team, 11-8. ERIC MAXIM / TIMES RECORD STAFF
Comeback
Trailing 8-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, Post 202 used patience at the plate, contact with the ball and timely hitting to come charging back.
After Mason Brigham reached on an error to start the frame, Brady Mitchell promptly singled before another TT error loaded the bases with no outs. Spencer Dahmen worked a bases-loaded walk, scoring Brigham.
TT starter Nick Galeucia retired the next two hitters before Holman delivered a two-run single, followed by and an RBI double by Booty to cut the deficit to 8-7. Galeucia struck out the next batter to retire the side.
“I’ve been feeling pretty good at the plate lately,” Booty said. “I’m just going up there looking for a good pitch to hit.”
“He’s been playing both senior and junior legion,” Hickman said of his catcher. “He’s been killing the ball for them as well as us, and I’ll take it. The hitting is there for this team, we’ve been knocking the ball around pretty well, we just need to put it all together both offensively and our pitching.”
Meanwhile, Holman took to the mound for Topsham and kept the visiting hitters at bay over the fifth and sixth innings. However, the seventh inning was a different story. Tanner LaFlamme hit a one-out single to cushion TT’s lead, but it was a two-out triple by Luke Knowles, knocking in two more runs that extended the lead to 11-7.
Cheverus reliever Nick Giancotti retired his seventh straight batter to lead off the seventh before giving up a single to Holman. Booty followed with a hit to right-center field and legged out a double, scoring Holman. But Giancotti retired the next two hitters, including his sixth strikeout to end the game.
“We’ll get it all together,” added Hickman. “Some of these guys haven’t played in a couple of weeks, so we’re still getting into it.”
Tracy paced the visitors with three hits and two RBIs, while Will Sidle had a pair of hits in the victory,
Topsham returns to action on Friday at Oxford Hills for a 5:30 p.m. game.
Thirsty Turf 11, Topsham 8
At Bowdoinham
Thirsty Turf — 240 200 3 — 11 7 3
TPost 202 — 201 400 1 — 8 8 2
Nick Galeucia, Nick Giancotti (4) and
Ryan Joyce; Eli Ouellette, Coenradt Taylor (2), Lukas Holman (5) and Trey
Booty.
WP — Galeucia; LP — Ouellette.
Repeat hitters — (TT) Jack Tracy 3, Will
Zidle; (P-202) Lukas Holman 3, Trey
Booty 3.
Doubles — (TT) Jack Tracy; (P-202)
Trey Booty 3.
Triple — (TT) Luke Knowles.
Record — Thirsty Tuft 2-0, Topsham 0-3.
Up next for Topsham Post 202 — Friday
at Oxford Hills, 5:30 p.m.
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