GORHAM – The last time Thornton Academy baseball played Gorham, the Golden Trojans season came to an end in a 3-1 loss to the Rams in the Class A South quarterfinal playoff round.
The Trojans got a little revenge Friday afternoon, capturing a 5-2 victory over the hosting Rams.
“Last season we ended here with a loss … to come back here and get a win was big to start the season off – a little redemption,” said senior pitcher Luke Chessie. “We all wanted it – we got it so it’s good.”
Thornton Academy head coach Jason Lariviere agreed with his player.
“I don’t think we’ve won in Gorham or beat Gorham in a long time so it’s a good win,” he said.
Thornton Academy built a 2-0 lead before Gorham earned its first run in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the Trojan lead in half.
Thornton Academy answered back quickly in the fifth.
Chessie knocked in Liam Nash to make the score 3-1, followed by two more runs that were walked in during the inning to extend the lead to four.
“I thought we did all the little things right,” Chessie said. “We played good defense, we hit the ball against a good pitcher and we got runs across the plate.”
At the bottom of the sixth, the Rams attempted a rally, scoring another run, but the Trojans closed the door.
Even though the Trojans walked away with a victory, Lariviere wasn’t satisfied with his team’s offensive production with runners in scoring position, in particular not scoring with bases loaded and no outs in the sixth.
“It was a good game but we left to many runners on,” said Lariviere. “Those are the things that hurt us last year but we were able to overcome it today.”
Chessie’s pitching was one of the ways that Thornton Academy was able to overcome the Rams. The senior pitched six strong innings.
“Luke did a fantastic job on the mound,” said Lariviere. “I thought he kept them relatively quiet the whole game.”
Thornton Academy improves to 1-0 while Gorham begins the season at 0-1.
Chessie was excited to start the season with a victory.
“We’re not going to win all the games but come out and play like (we did today) we should be in every game and give every team a good fight,” said Chessie.
Thornton Academy hosts Marshwood, while Gorham travels to Biddeford on Tuesday.
“They’re a tough team. They run a lot, they cause a lot of issues on the bases, they’ve got a good catcher, they’ve got a good pitching staff – we’re looking forward to the challenge,” said Lariviere. “I feel like today’s a good building block and we’re ready to go.”
— Sports Writer Sienna Barstow can be reached at sbarstow@journaltribune.com or at 780-9018. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct an error where former Gorham players Jacob Yahm and David Drew were included. Yahm and Drew both graduated last year.
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