Old Town edges Hampden in seventh Indians answer Broncos rally

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OLD TOWN – The Old Town Indians saw a three-run lead washed away in the top of the seventh inning Tuesday, as Hampden Academy showed its resilience amid a brief downpour.

But Old Town responded with resilience of its own, never letting Hampden take the lead and then using a bases-loaded walk by pinch-hitter Chad Dupuis in the bottom of the seventh to earn a 7-6 Penobscot Valley Conference baseball victory.

The win was the third in the last four games for 4-6 Old Town, which won just twice last spring.

“We’ve definitely progressed a lot since the beginning of the season,” said junior first baseman Travis Shaw. “For a young team like this, the progress we’ve made so far is immense. Now it’s just everyone coming in with their work boots and going to work.”

Old Town starter Cory Estes was in cruise control through six innings, but as a dark cloud engulfed the field at the start of the seventh, so did Hampden’s comeback qualities.

Billy Shannon singled up the middle, and Blaine Meehan followed with an infield hit to the shortstop hole before Ian Lee doubled home Shannon. Jacob Lukas relieved Estes, and Pat Moran singled home Lee to make it a 6-5 game before being caught between first and second as the run scored.

Walks to Chris Pease and Kevin Brooks loaded the bases, and Lee scored the tying run on a two-out single by Mike Brown before Lukas recorded an inning-ending strikeout.

As the rain abated, Storm Sagner led off the Old Town seventh with a walk off Hampden reliever Dan MacLean. Lukas reached on an infield error and David Dill laid down a bunt single to load the bases before Dupuis walked on four pitches to plate pinch-runner Chris St. Louis with the deciding run.

“That’s the thing I like about these guys,” said first-year Old Town coach Dave Utterback, “that if we have a lead and then get down or let the lead go, we’re always ready the next inning. These guys are learning how to win, learning how to fight.”

Shaw finished with a double and single for Old Town, while Dill and Jared Goody each had two singles. Meehan doubled and singled for 6-4 Hampden, while Moran singled twice.

Meehan led off the game with a double and scored on a throwing error, and Moran singled and later scored on a Kevin Brooks single as Hampden took a 2-0 first-inning lead.

An RBI single by Goody and a two-run double down the left-field line by Shaw helped Old Town take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the first, but Hampden tied the game in the second as Joel Neill was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a throwing error.

Estes then held Hampden hitless until the seventh, and his mates provided him a 6-3 lead with two runs in the fifth and another run in the sixth. Bases-loaded walks to Brad Perry and Nathan Lonko forced home runs in the fifth, while Jarrett Lukas singled, stole second and scored on a throwing error in the sixth.

Old Town’s win avenged a 3-1 loss at Hampden on May 4, when Moran hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.

“The last time we had a really close game with them,” said Shaw. “It went into the bottom of the eighth and they hit a game-winning home run and it was heartbreaking. So to beat them in the bottom of the seventh is a little bit of payback, and knowing we can beat a team as good as Hampden says a lot for us.”

INDIANS 7, BRONCOS 6

Hampden Acad. (6-4) Old Town (4-6)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Meehan, ss 3 2 2 0 Perry, 2b 3 0 1

Lee, 3b 3 1 1 1 Lonko, ss 1 1 1

Moran, dh-rf 3 1 2 1 Brewer, lf-3b 2 1 0

Scott, 2b 0 0 0 0 Emerson, lf 2 0 0

Pease, 1b 3 0 0 0 Jar. Lukas, dh 3 1 0

Brooks, c 2 0 1 1 Estes, p-cf 0 0 0

MacLean, rf-p 4 0 0 0 Goody, c 4 2

Brown, cf 3 0 1 1 Shaw, 1b 3 1 2

Neill, lf 3 1 0 0 Sagner, 1b 0 0 0

Shannon, p-2b 3 1 1 0 St. Louis, pr 0 0

Jac. Lukas, 3b-p 4 1 0

Dill, rf 3 0 2 0

Chilelli, cf-lf 3 0 0 0

Dupuis, ph 0 0 0 1

Totals 27 6 8 4 Totals 28 7 7 7

Hampden Acad. 210 000 3-6

Old Town 300 210 1-7

No outs when winning run scored.

E-Meehan 2, Brooks, Lee; Shaw 2, Jac. Lukas, Brewer; LOB-Hampden 8, Old Town 10; 2B-Meehan, Lee; Shaw; S-Brooks; SB-Brown 2, Brooks, Neill, Pease; Jar. Lukas, Lonko

Hampden Acad. IP H R ER BB SO

Shannon 4 2/3 6 6 1 3 3

MacLean (L, 0-1) 1 1/3 1 1 1 4 2

Old Town IP H R ER BB SO

Estes 6 6 6 5 3 3

Jac. Lukas (W, 1-2) 1 2 0 0 2 1

Estes pitched to three batters in 7th.

HBP-Neill by Estes, Meehan by Estes; Lonko by Shannon) WP-Estes 2; BK-Shannon; PB-Brooks; T-2:10; ATT-60