LEWISTON — The finish to the game couldn’t have been any more unusual. The result couldn’t have been any less.

Gayton’s 10 runs ruled yet another Zone 3 opponent Tuesday, blanking Smith-Tobey, 10-0 in six innings at Franklin Field as Luke Cote and Alex Parker combined on a no-hitter.

Through 15 games, all wins, Gayton has invoked the 10-run rule in a dozen. Tuesday was typical of most of those victories — strong pitching, flawless fielding, and timely hitting with contributions from the entire lineup.

But the defending state champions never clinched any of those wins with a catcher’s balk.

The balk, called when Smith-Tobey (7-9) was trying to intentionally walk Shawn Ricker with runners at second and third and no one out in the sixth, brought Nate Berube home with the 10th run. The infraction was called because the catcher stepped out of the catcher’s box before the pitch left the pitcher’s hand.

Gayton’s relentless offense set up the strange ending with patience at the plate (10 walks) and a number of two-out hits. Chris Madden and Ricker, the eight and nine hitters in the order, drove in two runs apiece and helped the top of the order of Luke Cote, Alex Parker, Mekae Hyde (four walks, two RBI) and Corbin Hyde turn up the pressure on Smith-Tobey pitchers.

“A couple of big difference-makers were the bottom of the order,” Gayton coach Todd Cifelli said. “Chris Madden had a two-out hit and Shawn Ricker had a bunt with one out that got two guys in scoring position and got us a big inning.”

Madden’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded put Gayton (15-0) on the board in the second. Ricker followed with the aforementioned sacrifice bunt to set up two-out RBI singles from Cote and Parker. Cote later scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.

Gayton doubled its lead in the third, scoring all four runs with two out. After Madden ripped an RBI single, Smith-Tobey starter Brandon Seubert tried to pick Trey Ouellette off at second. His throw went into centerfield and put runners at second and third for Ricker, who stroked the next pitch through the hole between third and short for a two-run single. Mekae Hyde made it 8-0 with a bases-loaded walk.

“They’re a classy team. They’re well-coached. They’re loaded to repeat and I don’t see anybody stopping them,” Smith-Tobey coach Bob Neron said. “They put together great at-bats and they’re aggressive. (Cifelli) has them bunting. They did a hit-and-run with runners at first and third. A lot of guys don’t do that because they don’t like to give outs away. He’s very clever with what he does.”

Cote (four strikeouts, five walks, two hit by pitch) cleverly worked his way out of a couple of jams. He started the game with a walk and a hit batter, but rendered those harmless with a strikeout, a fielder’s choice and a caught stealing by catcher Mekae Hyde. He then found his groove to retire nine in a row.

Smith-Tobey’s best chance came in the fifth, when Cote loaded the bases with no one out on a hit batter and two walks. The runners had to hold on back-to-back pop outs in the infield. Zack Groat then made the most solid contact of the night for Smith-Tobey, clubbing a line drive to left, but Trey Ouellette had little trouble catching the third out.

Cote tired in the heat and, after his 98th pitch walked Wade Hunt to lead off the sixth, he gave way to Parker, who retired all three batters he faced to preserve the no-hitter.

“Luke competed on the mound,” Cifelli said. “He might have had a chance to clear them out and go six or seven innings without the walks. But he was very effective. I think what was impressive was how he competed to get out of the first inning and the bases loaded (in the fifth)).”

Corbin Hyde made it 9-0 in the fifth with an RBI single, Gayton’s seventh two-out RBI, against reliever Brandon Glass. Berube and Madden walked to start the sixth before a wild pitch by reliever C.J. Hardin put both in scoring position and set up the balk.

“Unfortunately, they don’t get to practice (the intentional walk) in high school,” said Neron, referring the high school rule that allows intentional walks without a pitch being thrown. “I can assure you, we’ll work on it before the (zone) tournament.”

The zone tournament starts in eight days, but Cifelli isn’t concerned that his team has only played three full games all season.

“I think we’re playing well,” said Cifelli, whose team last played a full seven innings 10 days ago on the front end of a doubleheader with Windham and is on the verge of clinching a spot in the state tournament.

“We’re going to see good teams in the zone tournament and the state tournament, but our guys are playing very hard right now and that’s all I care about,” he said.