Gayton comes undone twice as Besssey slips away with a pair of victories.
By Justin Pelletier
Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Twice on Saturday Gayton had the lead with less than two full innings to play, and twice Bessey Motors posted three runs in the top of the final inning to pull out two crucial Zone 3 American Legion baseball wins at Franklin Field.

Bessey scored three in the top of the ninth inning of the first game to win 7-4, and tallied three more in the top of the seventh inning of Game 2 to win 8-5.

“I don’t know what it is about this team,” said Bessey Motors coach Joe Oufiero. “They always seem to play well later in the games this year. If you look at the runs we’ve scored this year, the sixth and seventh innings have been the most productive.”

After scoring three unearned runs early in the first game, Bessey had to claw back with one more freebie in the top of the sixth to tie the score.

“They outfielded us,” said an exasperated John Hesler, Gayton’s coach. “I don’t know what more to say about it. They just outfielded us.”

Since sweeping New Auburn on July 12, Gayton (6-14) has averaged more than six errors per game in four games, all losses. On Saturday, Gayton committed six in each game.

“We’ve done that so much this year, and we can’t win when we make that many mistakes,” said Hesler. “To their credit, Bessey is a good team. They have been there and know how to win and how to take advantage of other team’s mistakes.”

Gayton starter Dustin Longchamps held Bessey hitters off in both the seventh and eighth innings, while Bessey reliever Garrett Olson stymied Gayton hitters to earn the win. In the top of the ninth, Jeff Austin reached on a walk and stole two bases to reach third. With two outs, Brent Grenier singled to left field to bring Austin home, and both Grenier and Andrew Stacy, who had reached on a walk, scored on a Steve Cummings double.

“He’s the kind of hitter that seems to save himself for late-game situations,” said Oufiero of Grenier. “It didn’t surprise me to see him get the game-winner.”

In Game 2, Gayton scored one run in the first and four more in the second to take command, 5-2, but again squandered the lead late in the game as its bats went cold.

“I tend to pitch better coming from behind than with a lead,” said Baker, who after starting the first game fired three innings of relief in Game 2. “After we started to chip away, we realized that we could win the game with just a few good hits.”

Bessey scored one run in each of the first four innings and added one in the sixth to tie the game before adding three in the seventh to pull ahead for good. In that inning, Austin reached on a single, Chris Henderson reached on an error as three fielders converged in shallow center, and Grenier again came through, this time with a double.

Depending on the outcome of the final games on Monday, Gayton and Bessey Motors will likely see each other again on Friday in the Zone 3 quarterfinals.

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