BANGOR – Neither the Quebec Capitales nor Mother Nature could prevent the Bangor Lumberjacks from winning their third straight game on a rainy, stormy Friday night at Winkin Complex.

Fourth-place Bangor got another solid start out of Matt Scheuing and a balanced offensive attack led by Jose Garcia and Jake Whitesides to post a 7-1 rain-shortened victory – its eighth in the last 10 games – over third-place Quebec.

The game was called in the middle of the sixth due to heavy rain. Bangor is now 18-16, one game behind the 19-15 Capitales in the Northeast League’s North Division.

Scheuing improved his record to 5-1 after allowing four hits and one walk in six innings with three strikeouts.

“He was in the zone. He got ahead of people and gave up just one walk,” said Bangor pitching coach Kevin Pincavitch. “Last time against these guys, he walked four and gave up six runs.”

The 6-foot-3 native of Lancaster, Pa., threw 43 of his 69 pitches for strikes, but he was more pleased with his fielding prowess.

Two days after working with Pincavitch on fielding drills for a half hour before practice, Scheuing covered first for two infield groundouts, fielded two others and threw for the outs at first, and barely missed spearing a line drive that went for an infield single.

“I think it’s one of the weaker areas of my game so I worked at it and it really paid off today,” said the Bangor lefthander. “I’ll probably do it again to keep sharp and keep improving on that.”

Garcia, who has been working out of an offensive malaise earlier this season, also had reason to smile as he followed up a first-inning flyout on a diving catch in right with three straight singles for two RBIs.

“I’ve been working out with Nooch (batting coach Chris Carminucci) every day in the batting cage and I’m trying to let the ball get deeper before I swing and being more patient,” said Garcia.

Whitesides (three singles, one RBI, one steal) had his third straight multiple hit game since moving into the leadoff spot and is 7-for-13 in his last three games.

A three-run third inning helped break things open for Bangor. Donnie Ross and Derry Hammond led off with back-to-back walks and, following a strikeout, Ross scored on Garcia’s single to right, and both Hammond and Garcia scored on Rolando Bello’s double off the wall in center.

The Capitales scored first with a run in the top of the second. With two outs, Sam Bozanich doubled to right center and then scored on Justin Wendt’s single to center.

Bangor tied it up in the bottom of the inning, also with two outs. Shin Uchino doubled down the left-field line and scored on Whitesides’ single to shallow center.

Bangor tacked on a run in the fifth with back-to-back, one-out singles by Garcia and Bello followed by Paul Powell’s fielder’s choice RBI groundout.

Two more Bangor runs came in the sixth courtesy of a Whitesides’ leadoff single to shallow right, a two-out walk to Hammond, an RBI single to right by Mark Burke, and an RBI single to right center by Garcia.

Garcia had barely rounded first before the umpires called a rain delay at 9:04 p.m. Two attempts to remove the tarps and start play and 43 minutes later, the game was called.

LUMBERJACKS 7, CAPITALES 1

Quebec (19-15) Bangor (18-16)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Emond, rf 3 0 1 0 Whitesides, cf 4 1 1

Delfino, ss 3 0 0 0 Hargreaves, c 3 0 0

McNabb, lf 2 0 0 0 Ross, 1b 0 1 0

Hopper, 1b 3 0 1 0 Hammond, lf 2 2 0

Lantigua, 3b 2 0 0 0 Burke, dh 3 0 1

Bozanich, 2b 2 1 1 0 Garcia, rf 4 2 2

Wendt, dh 2 0 1 1 Bello, 2b 3 0 2

Quigg, cf 2 0 0 0 Powell, 3b 3 0 1

Lepine, c 2 0 0 0 Uchino, ss 3 1 0

Totals 21 1 4 1 Totals 25 7 10 7

Quebec 010 000 ? 1

Bangor 013 012 ? 7

LOB?Quebec 2; Bangor 9; 2B?Bozanich; Bello, Uchino; DP?Bangor 1; SB?Bello, Whitesides

Quebec IP H R ER BB SO

Gutierrez (L, 2-2) 5 7 5 5 5 4

Freedman 2/3 3 2 2 2 0

Bangor IP H R ER BB SO

Scheuing (W, 5-1) 6 4 1 1 1 3

Freedman faced six batters in 6th before game was called due to rain

HBP?Burke by Gutierrez; T?1:55; ATT?500 (est.)