HAMPDEN – Brewer rolled through the American Legion baseball regular season a year ago, winning the Zone 1 championship and taking a 25-1 record into the state tournament.

The Falcons are off to a 3-1 start this summer after Thursday’s 7-1 win over Hampden at Bordick Park, but Brewer coach David Morris sees great depth within the 10-team league in 2004.

“I think we have a quality zone with some quality coaches and quality players,” said Morris, whose Falcons are tied for second place in the zone with Lincoln and Trenton, one game-behind 4-0 Bangor.

“There’s a lot of parity, a lot of good pitchers and a lot of good players, and I think it’s going to be a fun summer for everyone. I think whoever goes to the state tournament will be well prepared.”

Brewer showed off the pitching of Andrew Patterson and the ability to capitalize on mistakes in defeating 0-4 Hampden.

Patterson pitched a three-hitter for his second win of the summer. The Husson College-bound righthander mixed his fastball and off-speed offerings to strike out seven and walk three in a 99-pitch performance. He didn’t allow a hit over his final 4 2/3 innings, retiring 14 of the last 16 batters he faced.

“It’s just the way he’s been pitching all year long,” said Morris, who also coached Patterson during the high school season as Brewer reached the Eastern Maine Class A championship game. “He’s been very consistent.”

Staked to a 3-0 first-inning lead, Patterson had only one rocky moment, when Hampden scored an unearned run in the bottom of the second as Jason Huntley singled and later came home on Brewer’s lone error.

But Patterson reached back to strike out Eric Libby with the bases loaded to end the threat, and he cruised the rest of the way.

“Those three runs we got in the first inning really helped, and Andy just pitched very consistently and we made some good plays behind him,” said Morris.

Hampden righthander Chris Pease probably deserved a better fate. He allowed eight hits and all seven Brewer runs in 6 2/3 innings, but only one of the Falcons’ runs was earned. Pease struck out eight, walked five, and hit a batter.

“We had a few mistakes here and there, which is a little disappointing,” said Hampden coach Jason Folsom. “But Chris Pease came out and pitched a great game.”

Jeff Miller reached on an error to open the Brewer first and scored on Kevin McAvoy’s one-out triple to right-center. Pat Moran then walked before McAvoy scored on a groundout by Joe Robicheau. Matt Grimes singled home Moran.

Brewer stretched its lead to 6-1 with three more runs in the fourth after Pease had retired the first two batters on two pitches. Mitch Peasley singled to left, and Miller had an infield hit on a popup between home plate and the mound that neither Pease nor catcher Ian Lee fielded. Peasley and Miller scored on Hampden errors, and Zac Bouzan-Kaloustian later scored when Robicheau was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

FALCONS 7, RIVERDOGS 1

Brewer (3-1) Hampden (0-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Miller, cf 4 2 1 0 Libby, rf 3 0 0

McGuire, cf 0 0 0 0 Bart, 3b 3 0 0

Bouzn-Kloustn, 2b 4 1 1 0 Lee, c 3 0 0

Cushing, 2b 0 0 0 0 Archer, 1b 2 0 0

McAvoy, 3b 2 1 1 1 Huntley, dh 3 1 0

Moran, 1b 2 1 1 0 Pease, p 0 0 0

Kotredes, 1b 1 0 0 0 McGinley, p 0 0 0

Robicheau, rf 2 0 0 2 Neill, lf 3 0

B. Davis, rf 1 0 1 0 Morris, ss 2 0 0

Grimes, lf 3 0 1 1 Ellis, cf 2 0 0

Otis, lf 1 1 1 0 Maclean, ph 1 0 0

Gifford, ss 3 0 0 0 Shannon, 2b 2 0 0

Patterson, p 3 0 0 0

Brown, ph 0 0 0 0

Peasley, c 3 1 1 0

Bush, ph 1 0 0 0

Totals 30 7 8 4 Totals 24 1 3 0

Brewer 300 300 1 ? 7

Hampden 010 000 0 ? 1

E?Gifford 2; Bart, Pease, Morris, Shannon; LOB?Brewer 8, Hampden 5; 2B?Otis; Lee; 3B?McAvoy; SB?Miller

Brewer IP H R ER BB SO

Patterson (W, 2-0) 7 3 1 0 3 7

Hampden IP H R ER BB SO

Pease (L, 0-2) 6 2/3 8 7 1 5 8

McGinley 1/3 0 0 0 0 0

HBP?Robicheau by Pease; WP?Pease 2; T?2:00; ATT?100 (est.)