DIXFIELD – With one swing of the bat, Jon Smith quickly erased any concern that momentum had shifted.

The Dirigo senior supplied the offense with two home runs – including a decisive grand slam – as the Cougars pulled away for a 12-5 victory against Georges Valley at Harlow Park.

Dirigo (9-1) grabbed the early lead, but Georges Valley cut the deficit to 7-5 in the fifth.

The drama ended quickly when Smith cleared the bases with his blast in the bottom of the inning.

“We are playing with a lot of confidence,” Smith said. “Everyone on the team is hitting the ball well, and we all know that we are on top of the MVC. To remain there, we need to take it to the next level.”

Smith, who normally bats right-handed, switched to the left side and went 4-for-4, with four runs and seven RBIs. He deposited Buccaneers pitcher Matt Shields offering over Nash Street in right field.

“The team is playing well,” Smith said, who will try playing baseball at Maine next season. “But, we entered this game like all the rest. It’s one game at a time, and hopefully we are not peaking too soon.”

Last week, the Cougars had posted an 8-5 triumph against previously unbeaten Mountain Valley.

Georges Valley (5-6) had a golden opportunity in the fifth after chasing Dirigo starter Ryan Lafleur (2-0), who had hit Larson Pratt. Brandon Staples hit an RBI double off Cougars reliever Derek Richards. Shields added an RBI single.

“We were flat coming out of the gates,” Georges Valley coach Lysha Smith said. “It was good to see the boys come back, but we couldn’t hold down a good team like Dirigo. This team is coming along, two years ago they only won two games in four years.”

The game featured several outstanding defensive plays. Second baseman Tyler Gates smothered the ball and flipping to Smith for the third out, center fielder Derek Daley threw to Dekota Holmquist to nail a runner at third base, and catcher Eric Bolduc tagged out a runner at home.

James ‘Whitey’ Moulton pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

“I think the boys felt a sense of urgency,” Dirigo coach Dave Lafleur said. “They were mad at themselves for having allowed Georges Valley to get back in the game. It was a little tense, but we played good defense, again.”

Dirigo scored five runs in the first two innings on Holmquist’s RBI single, Bolduc’s RBI ground out and Smith’s solo home run.