LEWISTON — Before his at-bat in the bottom of the eight, Lewiston’s Mike Wong went over to the batting cage behind home plate to get a few last-minute swings in. 

With starting pitcher Kyle Ullrich tossing batting practice, Wong took roughly 15 swings before heading to the plate with two outs and a runner on second. 

On the second pitch he saw from Mt. Blue reliever Ryan Pratt, Wong belted a 1-0 offering into the left-center gap, scoring Evan Cox as the Blue Devils tasted victory for the first time this season with an 5-4 victory over the Cougars in eight innings Tuesday. It was the first hit for Wong on the day. 

“Because I haven’t been hitting well this season so far and was trying to get myself out of a little slump, I went over real quick (to the batting cage) at the beginning of the inning and I took some BP over in the cage,” Wong said. “I jogged back over, I was up, blank mind and everything worked out.” 

Cox led off the eighth with a single up the middle and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Brady Cusson. After Ryan Bell popped out to Pratt, Wong put an end to Lewiston’s six-game losing streak to start the season. 

Lewiston coach Andrew Cessario said the decision for Wong to take batting practice before the inning was the senior’s own. 

“Mike’s a tremendous leader and he knows he may have a situation where he may get up in a big situation,” Cessario said. “He came through. He’s been on a little bit of a slump so hopefully that will be the igniter that ignites him and ignites the entire team to continue on a winning streak.” 

The Blue Devils (1-6) had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh, but Mt. Blue starting pitcher Amos Herrin struck out Ullrich and Jeremy Rancourt with the bases loaded to escape the jam. Herrin threw 115 pitches in seven innings, striking out six and walking six. He scattered five hits and allowed four runs. 

Ullrich tossed all eight innings, putting the Cougars down in order in the eighth. Ullrich allowed four runs on six hits, striking out seven and walking five in 117 pitches. 

“He pitched very, very well,” Cessario said. “He pitched out of a lot of situations —guys on second, guys on third with two outs — and he really came in clutch for us. He fought his way through a situation where they could have taken a lead in the top of the seventh.”

The Cougars (4-3) plated a run in the top of the seventh to force extra innings, but Ullrich worked out of trouble to keep the visitors from taking the lead. After an RBI single by Ethan Andrews tied the game, Ullrich struck out Rogers with Andrews on second to end the inning. On Andrews’ RBI single, the Blue Devils threw out Pratt at the plate on a relay started by Ryan Bell in center field. 

Ullrich, who missed games during April vacation to take a trip to Europe with his school’s travel club, had plenty of help in the field for his complete-game win on the mound. 

“It felt good to be out on the field with the team,” Ullrich said. “I felt we played good defense. Mike Wong had some amazing plays at short to keep it out of the outfield. Cusson had a few at the end to save us. I think we finally started playing as a team.” 

Cusson had five put outs in the game. 

The Blue Devils never trailed, scoring a run in the first and second and two in the third. Carter Chabot had a two-run single in the third as part of a 3-for-4 day. 

Mt. Blue came back with two in the fifth to pull within 4-3. Evan Roberts scored on a throwing error and Pratt touched home on a double steal. But the Cougars couldn’t pull ahead. They left six runners on base — three in scoring position — and had two runners thrown out at the plate.

“I thought we were in it the whole game,” Mt. Blue coach Christian Boileau said. “We had good opportunities throughout. We just didn’t capitalize on those, unfortunately.” 

The Blue Devils hope their first victory helps turn around their season. The five runs they put up Tuesday surpassed their offensive production in their past five games. Lewiston hadn’t scored more than two runs since its season-opening loss to Edward Little.

“It feels amazing,” Ullrich said. “From the start we had to right now I feel we’re a whole different team as of today than we were our first game.”