AUGUSTA – Dave Roberge is just happy that he found a place to play baseball this summer.

So is Locke Mills.

The Auburn resident and New Auburn Legion castoff went 3-for-4 with five runs batted in and two runs scored to lead an offensive explosion as Locke Mills ousted Penquis in the teams’ elimination game, 12-1 in seven innings.

“It was sad that no one came out to play in Auburn,” Roberge said, “but I am happy to be playing with these guys. I knew they had a solid team last year and it’s been a great season so far this year. I knew we had a shot to do well.”

Locke Mills is in the tournament for the first time in recent memory, and on Thursday their bats woke up after a mini-slump.

“The last two games, we hadn’t been hitting the ball well,” Locke Mills coach Chris Olson said. “We were shut down for two straight games (they scored just two runs) coming into this one, and we knew it was only a matter of time.”

In all, Locke Mills touched Penquis starter Jason Weymouth for 11 runs on 14 hits in less than seven innings, forcing the lefty to throw 127 pitches and spoiling a 10-strikeout outing.

“He was mixing it up well, and we had a lot of strikeouts,” Olson said.

“He threw his fastball well,” Roberge added, “but his curve wasn’t curving as much, and that’s what I was able to hit.”

On the other side, Locke Mills was again able to conserve its wealth of pitching, using only starter Kyle Kipikas in the seven-inning game, which was shortened by the ten-run rule.

“It’s not that we don’t have the pitching,” Olson said. “We just haven’t had to use it, and we kept Kyle’s innings down today, which will help if we need him later in the tournament.”

“He really kept our kids off balance,” said Penquis coach Bill Kane. “Our kids had a hard time judging his speed. We’d have a fastball count and he’d throw us breaking stuff.”

Kipikas allowed just four hits and one run, which came against an unfocused defense in the final inning with the score already 12-0.

After a scoreless first inning, Locke Mills got on the board with two runs in the top of the second singles by Shawn Marr and Quinn McAllister, and a two-run double by Roberge. Anthony Liberti took a 2-1 offering deep to center field with two outs in the third to extend the lead, and August Reiss and Roberge scored two unearned runs in the fourth on a throwing error by Weymouth to cap a three-run inning, putting the game out of reach.

Roberge was also part of the five-run, seventh inning onslaught that ultimately ended the game, smacking another two-run double to plate Richi Ross and Reiss.

Locke Mills will play Zone 3 rival Bessey Motors in another elimination game at 1 p.m. today.