RUMFORD — Mountain Valley baseball coach Steve LaPointe always appreciates timely hitting, especially when his Falcons are down two runs late in the game.
The Falcons (8-3) didn’t disappoint their coach after they used a four-hit uprising to score four runs and shake off obstinate Mt. Abram (4-6) with an impressive 5-3 victory in a Mountain Valley Conference baseball field at Hosmer Field on an overcast Thursday afternoon.
“We have been struggling to hit and we finally got the big hit when we needed,” LaPointe said. “We got that walk to start the sixth inning, nice base hit by Fischer (Cormier), Garrett (Garbarini ripped it, just a great effort all around.
“(Reliever) Ethan Laubauskas really bore down. He really put out. He really showed his senior prowess. It was a nice win for us. We are coming off a couple of tough losses,” LaPointe said. “They are a good team. They are a very good team. I think their future is incredibly bright. They are pretty young team, too. I think their future is solid. Jeff (Pillsbury) does a great job coaching them.”
The Falcons bounced back from the brink in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mt. Abram starter Nate Luce, who was holding down a 3-1 lead, was hoping to go the distance.
But when Luce ended up giving up hits to the first three batters, reliever Ben Debiase came in relief.
Mountain Valley outfielder Jake Blanchard started the rally with a walk and he was followed by Cormier’s single. The pair came home when Garbarini ripped a two-run single.
Garbarini made it to third base on a bad throw and scored on Cam Godbois’ infield sacrifice. Catcher Dylan Desroches scored after getting on with a double as the Roadrunners watched their hard-fought two-run lead evaporate.
In the fourth inning. and with the Falcons holding a 1-0 lead, the Roadrunners scored two runs with heads-up base running, and they did it with no hits. Luce got on with a walk and went on a crime spree, stealing second and third base and eventually home plate.
Hunter Warren nearly did the same thing. He walked, stole second and third bases and came home on a bad throw to give Mt. Abram a 2-1 lead.
The Roadrunners picked up another run in the fifth inning to take a comfortable 3-1 cushion.
“We need pitching and we have not hit well all year,” Pillsbury said. “They hit the ball well. Tonight, they were hitting the ball at us. They were beatable tonight. We let it slip away.”
Ian Allen pinch hit for Eli Fournier and got on with a walk. Fournier came back in to replace Allen as a pinch runner and scored on Luke Kearing’s RBI double for the Roadrunners.
The Falcons scored first in the third inning when Will Bean walked, stole second and scored on Will Sorensen’s RBI single.
The Roadrunners’ Luce took the loss on the mound. For the Falcons, pitcher Ethan Laubauskas got the win after relieving Godbois in the sixth inning. Mountain Valley had five hits, while Mt. Abram had three.
Mt. Abram second baseman Kenyon Pillsbury gets ready to put the tag on Mountain Valley’s Garrett Garbarini, who was caught stealing in the fourth inning in an MVC baseball game in Rumford on Thursday. (Sun Journal photo by Tony Blasi)
Mt. Abram pitcher Nate Luce goes into wind-up against Mountain Valley at Hosmer Field in Rumford on Thursday. (Sun Journal photo by Tony Blasi)
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