BANGOR – While playing catch as they attended a Senior Little League game three weeks ago, East Biddeford Little League All-Star shortstop Alec Luro suggested to teammate Trevor Fleurent that he try throwing a curve.

“His curves were pretty good,” said Luro, who suggested to manager Pete Anton the next day that he encourage Fleurent to develop his curve.

Fleurent took a crash course from coach Joel Curran and it paid huge dividends on Friday as the lefty threw a four-hit masterpiece to beat defending state champ Augusta West 2-0 at Taylor Field and earn East Biddeford its first Little League baseball state championship.

Fleurent struck out 12 and walked two in shutting down an Augusta West team that had averaged 10 runs a game and had a team batting average of .357 entering the game. He threw 83 pitches, of which 50 were strikes.

He was also helped by the overanxious Augusta West hitters, who swung at several pitches out of the strike zone.

“I threw a lot of off-speed pitches,” said the 5-foot-1, 92-pound 12-year-old with a herky-jerky motion. “This feels awesome. This is the best game I’ve pitched all year.”

He said his fastball was “good, I guess. I got them going for the high one.”

Meanwhile, his curve kept them off-balance and was the pitch he used to strike out lefty Garrett Lucas (8-for-12 entering the game) on a 2-2 pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth.

“He has a real good curve and he had it working today. And they were chasing his high fastball,” said East Biddeford catcher Joey White.

“He had a weird windup, no doubt about that, and he threw a hell of a game. He kept us off-balance just enough to throw a shutout,” said Augusta West manager Tom Vallee.

“Trevor always comes through for us. His motion is pretty tough. It’s cool, though,” said a grinning Luro.

Augusta West righthander Ryan Minoty, who pitched five innings of four-hit ball to beat East Biddeford 9-1 during the pool-play portion of the tournament, pitched well again. Both of the runs off him were unearned. He fired a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts and four walks.

Both runs scored in strange ways.

Fleurent grounded an opposite-field double down the right field line to open the game and eventually scored on an error.

“He threw me an outside fastball and I just went with the pitch,” said Fleurent, who moved to third on Luro’s bloop single to right and continued to the plate when the one-hop throw from the outfield to the plate was misplayed by catcher T.J. Vallee.

“They wouldn’t have scored if our pitcher backed up the play like he should have,” said manager Vallee.

East Biddeford scored in the fifth on a walk to Luro, a wild pitch, a passed ball, another walk, and a botched trick play by Augusta West.

With Luro at third, pinch runner Billy Lambert was supposed to break for second and get in a rundown to allow Luro time to cross the plate.

Vallee threw the ball back to Minoty, who was supposed to leave the ball in his glove, fake a throw to second, and then nail Luro at third while shortstop Jake Lachance and second baseman Colin McKee dive for an apparent errant throw.

But Minoty tried to fake the throw with the ball in his hand and it slipped out.

Augusta West’s fifth-inning rally was set up by pinch hitters John Berube and Cory Lapierre, who singled and doubled, respectively. Lachance (10-for-18) was walked intentionally.

Fleurent had a single to go with his double.

In addition to Lapierre, Vallee also doubled for Augusta West.

In pregame ceremonies, the Coastal Little League All-Star team from Hancock County received the sportsmanship award from tourney director Bill Masters.

The team was managed by Charlie Bye and coached by Dennis Rollins and Fred Lebel Sr.

EAST BIDDEFORD 2, AUGUSTA WEST 0

East Biddeford (3-2) Augusta West (4-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Fleurent, p 3 1 2 0 Lachance, ss 2 0 0

Mourmouras, 3b 3 0 0 0 Lucas, cf 2 0

Luro, ss 2 1 0 0 Vallee, c 3 0 0

Petrin, lf 1 0 0 0 Laney, 1b 3 0 0

Lambert, pr 0 0 0 0 Berube, pr-ph 1 0 0

White, c 2 0 0 0 Robinson, 3b 3 0 0

Black, 1b 3 0 1 0 Minoty, p 3 0 0

Anton, 2b 3 0 0 0 Poulin, rf 1 0 0

Fortier, rf 1 0 0 0 Beland, lf 1 0 0

Tardif, rf 1 0 0 0 Ward, lf 1 0 0

Simpson, cf 2 0 0 0 McKee, 2b 1 0 0

Lapierre, 2b 1 0 1 0

Totals 21 2 3 0 Totals 22 0 4 0

East Biddeford 100 010 ? 2

Augusta West 000 000 ? 0

E?Vallee, Minoty; LOB?East Biddeford 7, Augusta West 6; 2B?Fleurent; Lapierre, Vallee; SB?Lambert

East Biddeford IP H R ER BB SO

Fleurent (W 1-0) 6 4 0 0 2 12

Home IP H R ER BB SO

Minoty (L, 1-1) 6 3 2 0 4 10

HBP?Fortier (by Minoty); WP?Minoty 2; PB?Vallee 4; T?1:45; ATT?300 (est.)