LEWISTON — It was a game that required a little more brains than brawn.

Against an undefeated Windham team, Gayton Post knew it wasn’t likely going to win as it has on many nights this American Legion baseball season. A few mighty bats weren’t going to be enough on this night.

“Some of the game we’ve had this year, we outslugged the other team,” said Gayton coach Todd Cifelli. “We, in a sense, could have gotten away without doing the smaller things but not today against Windham.”

Gayton did a nice job manufacturing runs, played some solid defense and got a fine outing from pitcher Corbin Hyde. It was efficiency in various facets of the game that led to a 4-3 win over Windham Tuesday.

“Windham is an outstanding baseball team,” said Cifelli. “They’re coached very well. They have some stars in terms of in the state of Maine. It was a great pitcher’s duel. We were fortunate to sneak out one more at the end than they did.”

Windham’s Ben Noble held Gayton to just five hits, but Hyde bettered that. He allowed two hits, one of which came in the final inning. He struck out five and nearly had a complete game before Mat Gordon came on with two outs in the seventh to finish off the game.

“I just planned on throwing strikes and letting my fielders do the work because we have a really good defense,” said Hyde.

Luke Cote and Alex Wong each had two hits for Gayton (7-1), but it was aggressiveness on the bases that helped fuel the offense. Gayton had a pair of hits in two different innings, scoring two runs in each to take a 4-2 lead.

“We ran the bases well,” said Cifelli. “(Alex) Parker going first to third on Cote’s basehit was big. We had good secondary leads on the passed balls. With a good athletic pitcher and a good athletic catcher, if we don’t have the good secondary leads, we don’t score. When you have those pitcher’s duels, you’ve got to do those little things.”

Windam took a 1-0 lead in the third. After Nick Burton tripled with one out, he scored on a Shane Curtis squeeze bunt.

“We knew the next guy was really fast,” said Hyde. “So we expected a squeeze, but he just got it down.”

Gayton tied it and took the lead in the bottom of the third. Cote singled with one out and took third on a Wong double. Mekae Hyde’s fielder’s choice plated Cote. Then Wong scored on a wild pitch.

Windham tied the game in the fourth but could have had more. Two walks put the lead runners on, but Hyde settled down and got three straight outs. Taylor Valente’s fly to center was enough to score Colin Mello to tie it, but that was the extent of the damage. Hyde served up two fly balls and struck out the last batter with a runner in scoring position.

“After I walked a couple guys, I just took a couple deep breaths and tried to settle down and throw strikes,” said Hyde.

Gayton took the lead in the fifth. Parker singled and took third on Cote’s hit. A Wong fielder’s choice brought in Parker. Wong advanced on an error and later scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-2.

That seemed like all Hyde would need. He put down 11 Windham hitters in a row and had two outs in the seventh. He walked a batter and a Cody Laberge single created too big a threat.  Gordon came on in relief. Windham got one run on an error on a Laberge steal, but Gordon struck out the final batter.

“(Hyde) was outstanding,” said Cifelli. “He’d say he had a couple too many walks, but he pitched around it. Our goal today was to avoid the big innings and we did that.”

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