OLD TOWN – The outfield was an adventure at times for Dusty Thomas, but the batter’s box was no mystery Tuesday evening.

Thomas’ 3-for-3 night included the game’s decisive hit, a fourth-inning grand slam, as Orono-Old Town rallied past Hampden 7-6 in American Legion Zone 1 play.

The win was the Twins’ fourth in their last five games, lifting coach Ron Estes’ club to 5-4 on the season.

Hampden, a first-year team coming off back-to-back wins against Penquis and Bangor, is 2-8.

For Thomas, the home run was a 350-foot measure of redemption for a two-run error earlier in the game while playing left field – a position he did not play during the spring at Orono High School.

His blast capped a five-run uprising against Hampden starter Chris Pease that gave the Twins a 7-4 lead.

“It was a chest-high fastball,” said Thomas. “We were down by one and I knew we had to score some runs.

“I was seeing the fastball real well.”

Ryan Levesque led off the Twins’ fourth with a double to left-center. He scored on back-to-back singles by George Keefe and Mike Violette, both fly balls misjudged by the Hampden defense.

Pease then walked Cory Estes before retiring the next two batters.

That brought Thomas to the plate, and he drilled an 0-2 pitch on a line beyond the fence in straightaway center.

Hampden scored an unearned run in the fifth to close within 7-5. Ian Lee reached on an infield error, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Billy Shannon’s single to left.

The Riverdogs then tried to manufacture their third straight come-from-behind victory in the top of the seventh. John Higgins reached on a fielder’s choice that produced the first out, then went to third on a double by Jason Huntley. Higgins scored and Huntley reached third on a Shannon groundout, but Twins’ reliever Chris Rand struck out Eric Libby to end the game and earn a save in support of starter Mike Russell.

Russell (1-2) scattered seven hits and allowed just one earned run in six-plus innings before being lifted after throwing 111 pitches.

“He did what he had to do, and when runners got on base he got tougher,” said Estes. “He also got better as the game went on, but his pitch count was getting up there.”

Hampden scored two unearned runs in the top of the first, both scoring on a Huntley single. The Twins then scored twice in the bottom of the inning on a Ryan Brown sacrifice fly and an RBI double by Levesque.

Hampden took a 4-2 lead in the third. Kevin Brooks led off with an infield hit and Pease was hit by a pitch. Both runners scored when Lee’s single got past Thomas in left field.

“The good thing I’m seeing now is that we’re becoming more competitive,” said Hampden coach Bill Hodgdon, whose club consists primarily of high school sophomores. “The big thing is playing with enthusiasm, and that’s coming along.”

TWINS 7, RIVERDOGS 6

Hampden (2-8) Orono-Old Town (5-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Meehan, 2b 3 0 1 0 Rand, 2b-p 3 1 0

Brooks, c 4 1 1 0 Miller, ss 4 0 0

Pease, p-1b 3 2 0 0 D.Thomas, lf 3 2 4

Lee, 3b 2 2 1 0 R. Brown, dh-rf 2 0 1

Higgins, rf 3 1 1 0 B.Thomas, c 1 0 0

Huntley, 1b-p 4 0 2 2 Levesque, 1b 2 1

Shannon, ss 4 0 1 2 Keefe, 3b 3 1 0

Libby, cf 4 0 0 0 Violette, rf-cf 3 1 1

M. Brown, lf 3 0 1 0 Estes, cf-2b 2 1 0

Totals 30 6 8 4 Totals 23 7 7 7

Hampden 202 010 1 ? 6

Orono-Old Town 200 500 x ? 7

E?Miller 2, D. Thomas 2; LOB?Hampden 8, Orono-Old Town 4; 2B?Huntley; D. Thomas, Levesque 2; HR?D. Thomas; DP?Meehan-Shannon-Huntley; SF?R. Brown; SB?Lee; Rand

Hampden IP H R ER BB SO

Pease (L, 1-3) 5 6 7 7 4 4

Huntley 1 0 0 0 0 2

Orono-Old Town IP H R ER BB SO

Russell (W, 1-2) 6 7 5 1 4 6

Rand (S, 1) 1 1 1 1 0 1

Russell pitched to one batter in 7th.

HBP?Pease by Russell; B. Thomas by Pease; WP?Pease; T?1:50; ATT?50 (est.)