After giving away a two-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, the Greyhounds rallied for two in their half of the final frame to trump previously undefeated and reigning Class C champion St. Dom’s, 6-5, at Doughty Diamond.

Freshman pinch hitter Joe Philbrick, fellow ninth-grader Kyle Bourget and Jo Osmond drew walks to load the bases with one out against tiring St. Dom’s starter Joe Bryant.

Dalton Dunphy watched reliever Zak Johnson’s 3-2 offering for a walk, furnishing his fourth RBI and tying the game.

Brandon Hovey then hit a sharp grounder to third. St. Dom’s had ample time to cut down Bourget’s game-winning run with a force play at the plate, but the throw sailed wide of catcher Tyler Furtado.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Dunphy said. “We got our bats alive today and proved that we can compete.”

Lisbon (1-2) was playing its third MVC heavyweight in less than 72 hours. Friday’s 12-inning loss to Spruce Mountain in Livermore Falls followed a hard-fought home loss Wednesday to Dirigo.

“I knew it would take some time. When you open against Dirigo, Spruce and St. Dom’s, it’s not a great opening week,” Lisbon coach Randy Ridley said. “The kids showed mental toughness today. They came ready to play and they made plays.”

The Greyhounds’ beleaguered pitching staff got an enormous effort from Osmond, who sat out his junior year and had never started a varsity game.

After Bryant’s fly ball fell between two converging outfielders for a double to open the game, Osmond held the Saints (4-1) hitless and off the scoreboard until the fourth.

“It was pretty rough in the beginning because of the nerves,” Osmond said. “Then I did alright.”

Osmond enjoyed a string of four consecutive strikeouts in the first and second innings and fanned seven in all. He walked only three, one intentionally.

“He was locating great,” said Dunphy, Lisbon‘s catcher. “They couldn’t touch his fastball. His curve was great. It was right in the zone. It was dropping. They were chasing it.”

Lisbon lashed out only three singles against Bryant, but the Greyhounds maximized those hits on Osmond’s behalf.

Mason Smith led off the first inning with a walk and a stolen base before scoring on Bourget’s base hit.

Bourget and Osmond each walked and stole a base in the third — all with two outs — to preface Dunphy’s two-run single.

St. Dom’s reclaimed those runs in the fourth. Jimmy Theriault and Drew Gosselin led the inning with singles. Osmond struck out Furtado and coaxed a foul pop out from Danny Nadeau before Matt Roy’s single to right made it 3-2.

“I knew we weren’t going to be able to silence them all game,” Ridley said. “They’re too good a team and too disciplined as hitters not to start hitting the ball.”

Kody Priddle’s walk and Smith’s sacrifice bunt set up another two-out, run-producing single in the fifth. That rally came after third baseman Priddle erased Bryant with a strike to Dunphy to protect Lisbon’s slim lead in the top of the inning.

The Saints seemed to stave off the upset with their furious seventh-inning rally.

Johnson singled and went to second on a balk. Theriault reached on an error and then stole second, persuading Ridley to put Gosselin aboard and cast his lot with pinch hitter Mitchell Lorenz.

Lorenz plated the first run with a single. Nadeau’s two-run line drive gave St. Dom’s the lead.

“The seventh was scary,” Osmond said. “I don’t know how I got through that honestly.”

His teammates helped with a defensive gem. Lisbon loaded the bases with its second error of the inning and fifth of the day, but Hovey gloved a line drive off the bat of Caleb Dostie at shortstop and fired to first to retire the Saints’ wandering runner.

Mike Richard grounded out to end the rally. The Saints left 10 runners on base, including two in each of the final four innings.

“It took us too long to figure out that pitcher. We basically had seen everybody’s ace up until this point and it took longer than what it should have to time him up,” St. Dom‘s coach Bob Blackman said. “By the time that we did and with a couple of base running mistakes, we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities. It was too late. That’s our own fault.”

In addition to the huge Heal Point windfall — a gift that will keep giving — Lisbon landed a boatload of confidence for a team with only three returning starters from 2011.

“They get a little frustrated at times, but when it matters they come through,” Ridley said.

“Good for them,” Blackman added. “Learn from your mistakes and you’ll be better for it later. It’s a humbling experience at times and we’ll learn from it.”

koakes@sunjournal.com

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