OLD TOWN – With darkness approaching amid threatening skies that already had prompted a lengthy delay, the Presque Isle American Legion baseball team was determined not to make its season-opening sojourn down Interstate 95 a wasted trip.

So the Patriots went out and scored eight runs in the top of the fifth to secure an 11-5 victory over Orono in a Zone 1 contest that was halted after five innings at Old Town High School Tuesday evening due to darkness.

“I was hoping we weren’t coming back down here to start over,” said first-year Presque Isle coach Chris Parsons, whose team plays at Calais on Wednesday and at Lincoln on Thursday. “That 2 1/3 hours each way, you don’t want to do that any more than you have to.”

These teams played to a 3-3 stalemate through three innings, when the game was delayed for some 45 minutes due to thunder and lightning.

When play resumed, Orono righthander Travis Bryant retired Presque Isle in order in the fourth, but the Patriots sent 12 batters to the plate an inning later.

Leadoff hitter Logan York sparked the rally, opening the inning with a bunt single and adding a two-run double to left as the Patriots used seven hits, two walks and a pair of Orono errors to break the game open.

“I felt wicked comfortable up there,” said York. “We were trying to get a win for our new coach.”

After York reached on his bunt single, Pat Thibodeau walked before Hunter Caron went to the opposite field to double home the go-ahead run.

It was Caron’s second opposite-field hit of the game, following an RBI single in the first inning that staked the Patriots to a 1-0 lead.

“That’s my thing,” Caron said. “I always go opposite field.”

Harry Austin followed Caron’s fifth-inning hit with a pop single to right to drive home Thibodeau, and Matt McGlinn hit an RBI double down the right-field line to make it 6-3.

Pinch-hitter Michael Cleary reached reliever Jarrett Lukas for a two-run ground single to right, and York later doubled home two more runs before Thibodeau capped off the rally with an RBI single to left.

Orono (0-2) tried to rally in the bottom of the inning, as Lukas hit a two-run homer and the Twins then loaded the bases before Presque Isle right-hander Tyler Lamoureaux induced what proved to be the game-ending out.

York paced Presque Isle’s 12-hit offense with a double, two singles, three runs scored, two RBIs and two stolen bases. McGlinn and Caron each doubled and singled, while Austin singled twice.

Lukas had a double to go with his home run for Orono, while Dusty Thomas added a two-run homer in the third inning and an infield hit for the Twins.

PATRIOTS 11, TWINS 5

Presque Isle (1-0) Orono (0-2)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

York, ss 3 3 3 2 Roach, cf 1 2 0

Thibodeau, rf 3 1 1 1 Estes, 2b 3 0

Caron, cf 4 1 2 2 Lukas, 3b-p 3 2 2

Austin, c 3 1 2 1 Thomas, c 3 1 2

McGlinn, lf 3 1 2 1 Keefe, ss 3 0 0

Richardson, 2b 3 0 0 0 Tardiff, lf 3 0

Hersey, 3b 2 2 1 0 Bryant, p-3b 2 0 0

Haines, 1b 2 1 0 0 Dunton, 1b 3 0 0

Cleary, ph 1 1 1 2 Chilelli, rf 1 0 0

Lamoureaux, p 3 0 0 0 Fournier, ph 1 0

Hardy, rf 0 0 0 0

Totals 27 11 12 9 Totals 23 5 9 4

Presque Isle 120 08-11

Orono 102 02 – 5

E-York; Thomas, Estes, Chilelli, Keefe, Hardy, Tardiff; LOB-Presque Isle 4, Orono 6; 2B-York, Caron, McGlinn; Lukas, Tardiff; HR-Thomas, Lukas; DP-Bryant-Keefe-Dunton; SB-York 2

Presque Isle IP H R ER BB SO

Lamoureaux (W, 1-0) 5 9 5 5 3 4

Orono IP H R ER BB SO

Bryant (L, 0-1) 4 9 8 6 2 4

Lukas 1 3 3 3 1 2

Bryant faced five batters in 5th.

T-1:30; ATT-30 (est.)