SOUTH PARIS – With 10 teams now in the mix, Bessey Motors coach Shane Slicer thinks the Zone III schedule is going to be a grind.

That may be the case, but if Thursday’s 14-6 win over Andy Valley is any indication, Bessey Motors will be grinding a lot of those teams’ pitching staffs into dust this summer.

Bessey pounded out 15 hits and got some strong relief pitching to quiet Andy Valley’s awakening offense in the final three innings. Aaron Chase got the victory with one inning of relief following starter Nate Dubois. Travis Fillebrown and Cody Hadley combined to yield just one hit over the final three innings.

“It was Dubois’ first varsity start and he was a little erratic, but we’ve got to work him in because he’s going to be one of our starters (for Oxford Hills) next year,” Slicer said. “So then we threw a bunch of guys out there to see what we had. Aaron’s arm got a little sore, and that’s a bit of a concern, but Fillebrown and Hadley pitched well.”

Dan Millett led the Bessey offense with three hits, including two triples, three runs scored and a run batted in. Matt Verrier also had three hits, scored three runs and drove in a pair. Nigel Cromwell had two hits, including a two-run triple, and Hadley hit a pair of singles and drove in a run.

“We hit the ball very well, so hopefully that continues,” Slicer said. “I don’t know if we have enough pitching to get where we need to go, so we’re just trotting people out there.”

After Andy Valley took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on Evan Barker’s RBI single, Bessey Motors responded with four in the bottom of the frame off starter Jake Marceau. Andy Valley tied it with three in the top of the second, sparked by Jake Marceau’s two-run double, but Bessey reclaimed the lead for good on an RBI single by Verrier and a run-scoring error.

Bessey poured it on in the third, sending seven runs across the plate on triples by Millett and Cromwell and a ground-rule double by Brandon Chase. Tucker Hill capped the scoring with an RBI single.

Colby Youland pretty much held Bessey in check from there, but with the exception of a two-run double by Josh Tainter off Aaron Chase in the fourth, Andy Valley never really mounted another serious threat.

“It’s only our second game and the lineup is still up in the air,” Andy Valley coach Wendell Strout said. “I thought we hit the ball well. We pitched well. (Bessey) is an extremely good hitting team and we held our own for the most part.”

Marceau had two hits to lead Andy Valley.