Monmouth shortstop Hunter Richardson prepares to fire a throw to first while Winthrop’s Matt Ingram heads down the line during the Ramblers’ 3-1 win in Winthrop on Thursday.Monmouth first baseman Avery Amero scoops up a throw that beats Winthrop’s Antonio Meucci to the bag during the Ramblers’ 3-1 win in Winthrop on Thursday.Winthrop’s Jackson Ladd connects on a pitch while Monmouth catcher Corey Armstrong watches the play unfold during the Ramblers’ 3-1 win in Winthrop on Thursday.Winthrop starter Jacob Hickey fires a pitch in the first inning of the Ramblers’ 3-1 win over Monmouth in Winthrop on Thursday.Monmouth starter Avery Pomerleau unleashes a pitch during the Mustangs’ 3-1 loss to Winthrop in Winthrop on Thursday.Winthrop’s Carson Camick connects on a pitch during the Ramblers’ 3-1 win over Monmouth in Winthrop on Thursday.

WINTHROP — The first out and the last out were adventures for Winthrop on Thursday. But the Ramblers did enough in all three aspects of the game in between to score a 3-1 victory over Monmouth Academy in a Class C South contest.

Avery Pomerleau led off the game with a single to right on Jacob Hickey’s first pitch, then moved to second when he was deemed obstructed on the basepaths. Hunter Richardson followed with a single up the middle, and just like that the Mustangs (6-2) were up 1-0.

Richardson moved to third on a groundout, then Hickey walked Avery Amero on a 3-2 pitch. A sacrifice bunt put Amero into scoring position, but Hickey induced a fly out from Kane Gould to end the inning.

“You’d like to get a little bit more. You’d like to get a run or two every inning,” Monmouth coach Eric Palleschi said. “Some days you do, some days you don’t. Today we didn’t.”

That Hickey made it out of the frame giving up just the one run was a good sign for the Ramblers (5-3).

“Sometimes Jacob just throws, but today he pitched,” Winthrop coach Marc Fortin said. “It would have been easy to lose — when they start hitting them early, sometimes he just starts throwing, and they just keep rocking him. That didn’t happen. First inning didn’t look good. They had their wheels on, they were making contact, and we were lucky to get out of there.”

Hickey allowed harmless singles in each of the next two innings before setting the Mustangs down in order in the fourth.

“I thought Jacob did a good job, kept us off balance,” Palleschi said. “We hit some balls right at people.”

By the time the Mustangs came up to bat again in the fifth they were down 3-1.

The Ramblers tied the game in the bottom of the third. Ryan Baird led off the frame with an infield single, then moved to second two batters later on a groundout. Pomerleau, pitching for Monmouth, nearly got out of the inning, but Bennett Brooks put a 3-2 pitch into right field for an RBI single.

“That was real big. And it’s a freshman that gets on base there,” Fortin said. “…next thing you know he’s scoring on a hit to right field that was pretty marginal. I thought it might be a little closer at the plate than it was, but we took that chance and it paid off for us.”

Brooks made it around to third on a Hickey single and a Matt Ingram walk, but Pomerleau got out of the jam with a groundout.

When the Ramblers loaded the bases again in the fourth, they made sure they didn’t squander the chance.

Carson Camick hit a one-out single to left, then Baird walked and Cameron Gaghan hit an infield single to put three runners on. A Jackson Ladd groundout drove in one run, and a wild pitch brought home another.

The Mustangs tried mounting comebacks in each of the last three innings. Gabe Martin led off the fifth with a single and made it to third, but was left stranded there. Monmouth then put two on with one out in the sixth thanks to consecutive singles by Corey Armstrong and Gould, but a double play wiped out that threat.

“We just didn’t hit the ball where we needed to hit the ball. We would hit ground balls right at somebody,” Palleschi said. “I thought we did a good job of keeping the ball out of the air. We just didn’t get that hit where you would expect to get that hit.”

The top of the seventh was a roller coaster for Fortin.

“Are you kidding me? Any nerves? I’m about having a heart attack in there, and I’ve already had two, so I don’t need another one,” Fortin said.

Devon Poisson led off with a groundout that was anything but easy for the Ramblers. Brooks had to range to the ball at short, then Antonio Meucci had to reach out and do a split to catch Brooks’ throw while keeping his foot on the bag.

Hickey then hit Martin and Pomerleau in consecutive at-bats, and both runners moved into scoring position on Richardson’s groundout to second that ended with a close play at first.

Travis Hartford grounded out to Brooks to end the game.

“Travis hit the ball hard, it was just right at the shortstop,” Palleschi said. “If that ball goes up the middle, we’re tied, and we’re probably still playing.”

“Bennett, who’s our Mr. Utility so far this year … clutch play,” Fortin said. “He boots that, he throws it away, they both score. Bennett’s cool as a cucumber.”

Hickey scattered six hits while striking out three to earn the win. Pomerleau threw a seven-hitter, with one strikeout and one walk.

“I thought both pitchers threw well,” Palleschi said. “It was wet, it was cold, not the best pitching conditions, and we got two good pitching performances.”

wkramlich@sunjournal.com