BANGOR – Early to bed, early to rise, and two wins for the U.S. East representative to the Senior League World Series to keep alive their hopes to make the semifinals.

About eight hours after earning a win in the conclusion of a game that had been suspended from Sunday night to due rain, the team from Freehold Township, N.J., used an offensive outburst to earn a 12-2 victory over the U.S. Southwest team from Marksville, La., in Pool B play Wednesday evening at Mansfield Stadium.

The U.S. East team defeated Europe-Middle East-Africa 14-3 Wednesday morning, which gives Freehold a 2-1 record.

“We got to bed real early [Tuesday] night, I’m pretty sure everybody was asleep by 10, so that was key,” said pitcher Dominick Hayes, who earned the win over the U.S. Southwest. “We still had a lot of energy left for the second game.”

New Jersey will face Latin America, which is also 2-1, Thursday morning at 10 a.m. There are now three 2-1 teams in Pool B.

“The outcome of that game will be significant,” manager Charles Wilmot said. “There are a lot of possibilities. But our focus is to win our game.”

Louisiana falls to 1-2 and will play the U.S. Central team (2-1) Thursday at 1 p.m.

The defending World Series champion Freehold team had what Wilmot considered its best game of the week against the Southwest.

Sixteen hits, including seven for extra bases, plus Hayes’ seven-hit pitching effort was more than enough for Freehold.

The East already had a 5-2 lead when it exploded in the fourth inning with five runs on five hits, plus another baserunner thanks to one of the Southwest’s three errors in that inning. Chase Majewski sparked the offense with a leadoff double. A.J. Rusbarsky and Jason Nardi also had doubles in the inning.

“When we wake up, everybody can hit the ball,” Hayes said. “It wasn’t just one person. It was two singles, a bomb, a walk, an error, and it just went from there.”

Freehold’s top four batters combined to go 11 for 15 with nine runs scored and seven RBIs. The East had either a hit, a run or an RBI from eight of nine spots in the order.

Hayes scattered seven hits, striking out six and walking two. One of the two runs he gave up was unearned.

Southwest pitchers Thomas Dunn and Kory Moss showed good control – Dunn gave up New Jersey’s only walk – but the pitching was hurt by four Southwest errors.

“They hit the ball great. They just outplayed us,” Southwest manager Robby Roszell said. “I don’t think our guys came to play, they got on us early and it went downhill from the beginning.”

Seth Webster led the Southwest with two singles and a double. He also had Marskville’s only RBI of the game.

The Southwest had one baserunner in the final two innings.

“We should have hit their pitching,” Roszell said. “That’s what disappointed me early in the game.”

U.S. EAST 12, U.S. SOUTHWEST 2

(Pool B)

Freehold Twp., N.J. (2-1) Marksville, La. (1-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Hayes, p 4 3 2 0 K. Moss, rf-p 2 0 0

Rusbarsky, ss 4 3 3 2 Borrel, cf 3 0

Cuneo, 1b 4 2 3 2 Roszell, ss 3 2 0

Nardi, cf 3 1 3 3 Webster, 3b 3 0 1

Wilmot, 2b 4 0 1 1 Normand, c 1 0 0

Baggitt, c 4 0 0 0 Brouillette, 2b 3 0 0

Cooney, lf 2 1 2 1 Dunn, p 1 0 0 0

MacLean, lf 1 0 0 0 Jeansonne, rf 1 0 0

Kinsella, 3b 2 0 0 1 Maddox, 1b 2 0 0

Whitley, rf 1 0 0 0 Lemoine, lf 1 0 0

Majewski, rf 2 1 1 0 B. Moss, lf 1 0 0

Archer, 3b 1 1 1 0

Totals 32 12 16 10 Totals 21 2 7 1

U.S. East 230 52 – 12

U.S. Southwest 101 00 – 2

E-Rusbarsky, Baggitt; K. Moss, Roszell, Normand, Maddox; LOB-U.S. East 6, U.S. Southwest 7; 2B-Hayes, Rusbarsky, Cuneo, Nardi, Majewski, Archer; Roszell, Webster; 3B-Cooney; DP-Roszell-Brouillette-Maddox; S-Normand; SB-Hayes, Nardi, Cooney

U.S. East IP H R ER BB SO

Hayes (W, 1-0) 5 7 2 1 2 6

U.S. Southwest IP H R ER BB SO

Dunn (L, 0-1) 2 8 5 5 1 1

K. Moss 3 8 7 5 0 2

WP-Dunn, K. Moss; T-1:49; ATT-450