RUMFORD – Northern Oxford County baseball team is in its infancy.

However, it learned a valuable lesson Thursday in Zone III American Legion action.

Jackie MacVaine singled home the eventual winning run in the fifth inning and Joe Douglass pitched strong enough as Gilman Electrial survived a 13-11 slugfest against Northern Oxford County.

It was the first legion game played at Hosmer Field since 1999 when the Rumford entry disbanded. Northern Oxford County had won its season opener last Saturday in South Paris.

In the game, Gilman Electrical trailed 7-5 after two innings, but then proceeded to score seven unanswered runs over the next three frames. Post 150 received RBI singles by MacVaine and Whitney Cross and a two-run double by Jake Pelletier.

“Walks will kill you every time,” said Expos coach Ryan Palmer. “Our pitchers walked 10 batters (six scored). Then after Douglass first inning I thought how can we ever touch him. But, he pitched out of a couple, but the good ones will find a way and Douglass is one of the best in Zone III.”

Douglass relieved Will Griffths and struck out the side in the fourth and fifth, respectively. Northern Oxford managed to score four runs in the sixth on a single by Chris Cayer, who had three hits, three runs and three RBIs, two wild pitches and Matt Lyons and Ben French both scored on a throwing error.

Nortern Oxford (1-1) threatened in the bottom of the seventh as Aaron Fenstrmacher and Cayer were in scoring position, but Douglass induced Justin Staires to pop-up for the final out.

“We didn’t make any adjustments,” Gilman Electrical coach Walter Casey said. “Joe Douglass came in and shut them down except for a lapse in the sixth. That’s the best I’ve seen him pitch.”

NOC had jumped on Gilman Electrial starter Brent Carey for five runs in the second, highlighted by a Cayer three-run double. Post 150 roared back with a pair of bases-loaded walks to Pelletier and Matt Benson. Eric Picard hit a two-run single.

“I helped coach the high school team,” Carey said. “There was a lapse after the Greely loss in the playoffs, but this team is bouncing back.”