RUMFORD – It was a bittersweet moment for Mt. Abram baseball coach Ryan Palmer, who found out first-hand the feeling of being on the opposite side of Hosmer Field in a game Friday afternoon.

Senior Dean McCrillis went 3 for 4 and also scored three runs to lead the Mountain Valley offense, while pitcher Matt Laubauskas was in control as the Falcons cruised to a 17-1 win against the Roadrunners.

Mountain Valley (11-2, ranked No. 4 in Class B, have been on fire having, scored 31 runs in two games, while the pitching staff has allowed one hit. The previous night, Justin Staires and a trio of pitchers combined on a no-hitter in a 14-0 triumph over Carrabec. Both contests were shortened by the mercy rule.

“We can’t afford to play down to our opponents,” Falcons catcher Keith Brennick said. “We still need to go out and make the plays.”

Mountain Valley took advantage of several errors to grab a 5-0 lead against starting pitcher Charlie Dexter, who was a victim of non-support. The Falcons then put things away by scoring nine runs in the third inning. McCrillis and Nate Woods each scored twice. Justin Staires hit an RBI triple, Alex Gagnon had an RBI single and Cody McPherson added a sacrifice fly.

“We’ve been hitting the ball really well,” Mountain Valley coach Steve LaPointe said. “They might not be falling in for hits all the time, but we are putting the ball in play, and that’s what counts.”

Mt. Abram (2-12) was overmatched by Laubauskas, who struck out seven in three innings. The Roadrunners stranded Josh Smith and Zach Purdy in the second and then left the bases loaded in the fourth after Smith hit a single off McPherson.

“Errors hurt us, but that’s been the story of our season,” said Palmer, who was a standout pitcher for Mountain Valley a decade ago and was the assistant coach for five seasons.

“Against a team like Mountain Valley, you need to ask the kids to play a near-perfect game, and that’s hard to do in high school ball. When the score was 17-0 I looked over and Keith Brennick was still hustling after balls. If I could have 15 players like him on the roster we’d be all right.”

Staires, who is co-Most Valuable Player in the MVC, added a solo home run in the fourth. Staires was the conference MVP in 2007. John McKenzie (two hits) and T.J. Burgess each scored runs and Ryan Laubauskas singled in a run.

“The team hitting has picked up,” McCrillis said. “That wasn’t so early in the season. The playoffs are coming up, and the team is ready, but first we need to focus on our big game against Lisbon on Monday.”

Mt. Abram broke through when Dexter scored in the fifth on a ground ball that Falcons shortstop Tom Puiia started a double play.