LEWISTON — The Lewiston Little League 11/12 All-Star team jumped onto the back of Joe Dube on Sunday afternoon and allowed its power hitter to lead them into the third round of the Maine State Little League tournament. 

Lewiston defeated Bronco Little League by a score of 13-0 on Sunday in three-and-a-half innings thanks to three home runs from Dube and a total of 12 hits on the day. 

Lewiston players mob Joe Dube after crossing the plate following his third home run of the game during Sunday’s victory over Hampden. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

For Dube, the approach at the plate was simple. 

“Yeah I was feeling good,” Dube said. “I wanted to just play like myself. They gave me pitches right down the middle, mistakes.”

Dube made Bronco pay in the second inning after Lewiston went down in order in the first. Dube led off the second inning and on a 1-1 pitch drove it into left-center field to take a 1-0 lead. 

The home run sparked a three-run inning from Lewiston as Michael Caron followed the homer with a double, then a single from Charlie Foster. Cam Morin drove in Caron with a sacrifice fly to center, then two batters later a wild pitch scored Foster to go up 3-0.

On the other side of the ball, Lewiston’s Jeffrey Randall was dealing. 

A 14-pitch first inning allowed for some wiggle room for coach Jim Caron, who went into the game expecting just two innings from his starter, but instead got three. 

“We were geared up for two innings from Jeffrey,” Caron said. “He’s a hard ball pitcher, loves strikeouts. Unfortunately with a strikeout pitcher you’re looking at four or five pitches per at-bat. Sometimes putting the ball in play helps.”

In the second inning, Bronco’s Andy Henaghan drove the eighth pitch of his at-bat into left field, but Lewiston’s Spencer Chartier, the team’s only 11-year-old, dove to his left and saved an extra-base hit.

“The way we played defensively saved us today,” Caron said. “I know we scored a lot of runs, I get that, but when you don’t give any extra at-bats, it helps… (Chartier) will give you 199 percent every time.”

In the third inning, after Randall gave up just one hit and struck out two batters, Lewiston really exploded at the plate. 

Randall led off the inning with a single, followed by Dube, who smashed his second homer of the game to virtually the same spot his first one landed. 

Lewiston pounded out seven hits in the third inning and also reached on three Bronco errors. Of Lewiston’s 14 players, Nine had hits and 11 reached base. 

“I am carrying 14 kids,” Caron said. “All I owe our players is one at-bat. Every player got at least one at-bat and got to play in the field today. That’s why I had them introduced in alphabetical order because we don’t have subs, just players.”

At 10-0, Mason Laflamme reached on an error, followed by Randall slapping a single to put two Lewiston baserunners on for Dube’s third at-bat of the game. This time, Dube’s home run went to left field and went the furthest of the three, putting Lewiston up 13-0. 

“I was feeling like myself,” Dube said of his mindset entering his final at-bat. “Hit it in the gap and if it happens again, it happens again.”

Ethan Pelletier pitched the fourth inning, putting down Bronco in order.

“We brought in Ethan Pelletier, who is a great pitcher, and he is a little different and has a great breaking ball,” Caron said.

 Sunday went as well as it could have for Caron and Lewiston as all its players are eligible to play on Tuesday.

“If we didn’t have (a player) hit we had a play that put somebody in position,” Caron said. “Going into this game we talked about waiting back and if they’re going to throw the ball over the middle then we’re going to make them pay. We’re going to hit it hard. I always say home runs are misses but in Joe’s case he’s allowed to miss. He’s a big, strong boy. He knows to hit the ball flat and hit it far.”

Lewiston will play on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. against the York Little League at Giroux Field.

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