AUGUSTA – Garrett Olson is a baseball rarity – a catcher who bats leadoff.

But the recent Oxford Hills High School graduate showed Sunday why his bat is in demand at the top of the Bessey Motors lineup, going 5-for-5 with five RBIs and two stolen bases as the Zone 3 champions from South Paris downed Calais 11-2 in a first-round game of the state American Legion baseball tournament at McGuire Field.

Four of Olson’s hits went for extra bases: three doubles and a two-run home run in the eighth inning.

“I’ve had one 5-for-5 day before, but not with three doubles and a homer,” said Olson, who plans to play baseball at Division II Franklin Pierce College next year. “I was seeing the ball well, and I waited pretty well for good pitches to hit.”

Olson’s hitting backed an efficient pitching performance by Bessey starter Joe Baker, who allowed one run on three hits over seven innings and did not yield a walk while striking out seven.

“I tried to throw strikes and hit spots,” said Baker, a right-hander. “I didn’t have good location with my fastball, but my change-up was working well and I was able to get them with change-ups a few times when they were expecting fastballs.”

Steve Colbeth hit a solo homer for Calais, the Zone 2 runner-up that was playing in its first-ever state tournament game. Teammates James Ramsdell and Chris Dyer each added two singles.

“I was happy with the defense, and I thought our pitching was OK,” said Calais coach Ken Macdonald. “But our hitters took a lot of good pitches and swung at some bad ones. Hopefully we’ll snap out of it [today].”

Calais (14-14) faces an elimination game at 11 a.m. today at Morton Field against Zone 2 runner-up Monmouth (20-7), which lost to Zone 4 champion Nova Seafood of Portland 9-1 on Sunday. Bessey Motors (19-5-1) will face Nova Seafood (25-1) at 3 p.m.

Bessey reached Calais starter Scott Macdonald for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. No. 9 hitter Kyle Kenniston (2-for-4, three runs scored) stroked a leadoff single to right and went to third on a pair of wild pitches before scoring on Olson’s double to right-center.

Colbeth got that run back with one swing in the top of the fourth, blasting a 1-0 pitch from Baker over the fence in right-center for a leadoff home run to tie the game at 1-1.

Bessey took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning, and again some strong defense by shortstop Ben Maloney and catcher Chad Pike prevented a larger rally. Chris Henderson hit a leadoff single and moved to third on a double by Baker. Maloney then made a diving stab of Andrew Stacy’s grounder and threw out Henderson at home. Baker scored the go-ahead run on a double-steal with Stacy, but Maloney ranged out to medium left field to flag down Brock Flanders’ fly ball and Pike ended the inning by throwing out Stacy trying to steal third base.

The Zone 3 champions extended their lead to 4-1 with a pair of fifth-inning runs on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Austin and an RBI-single by Tyler Bryant.

Olson’s third double drove home two more runs to key a three-run sixth-inning rally that gave Bessey a 7-1 lead.

Calais scored its final run in the top of the eighth off reliever Corey Tielinen, as Pike walked and scored on Ramsdell’s two-out single to center.

BESSEY MOTORS 11, SUNS 2

(Sunday Afternoon, 9 innings)

Calais (14-14) Bessey Motors (19-5-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Ramsdell, cf 4 0 2 1 Olson, c 5 2 5

J. Macdonald, 3b 4 0 0 0 Austin, lf 4 1

Colbeth, lf 4 1 1 1 Bryant, cf 4 0 1

Footer, 1b 4 0 1 0 Henderson, 1b 3 0 0

Maloney, ss 4 0 0 0 Wall, 1b 1 1 1

S. Macdonald, p-rf 4 0 0 0 Baker, p 3 0

Dyer, 2b 3 0 2 0 Tielinen, p 1 0 0

Pike, c 2 1 0 0 A. Stacy, rf-lf 3 0 0

Constant, rf 2 0 0 0 Bolduc, 2b 1 0 0

McLay, p 1 0 0 0 Grenier, 3b 2 0 0

M. Stacy, 3b 1 0 0 0

Flanders, 2b 2 0 0 0

Skalski, lf 1 2 1 0

Jennings, lf 0 0 0 0

Kenniston, ss 4 3 2 1

Totals 32 2 6 2 Totals 35 11 14 9

Calais 000 100 010 ? 2

Bessey Motors 001 123 04x ? 11

E? Maloney 2; LOB? Calais 4, Bessey Motors 7; 2B? Olson 3, Baker; 3B? Wall; HR? Colbeth; Olson; DP? Maloney to Dyer to Footer; SF? Austin; SB? Maloney; Olson 2, Baker 2, Bryant, A. Stacy, Austin

Calais IP H R ER BB SO

S. Macdonald (L, 3-6) 6 10 7 6 3 1

McLay 2 4 4 3 2 1

Bessey Motors IP H R ER BB SO

Baker (W, 5-1) 7 3 1 1 0 7

Tielinen 2 3 1 1 1 1

HBP? Bryant (McLay); WP? S. Macdonald 2; PB? Pike; T? 1:50; ATT? 300 (est.)