HAMPDEN – Trenton’s 7-3 American Legion Zone 1 baseball victory over the Hampden River Dogs at Bordick Park on Tuesday might be considered the unbeaten Acadians’ version of the vision thing.

Lance Gale said he didn’t see the ball well during his three at-bats, but the Trenton left fielder had three singles and three RBIs in helping the Acadians improve to 7-0 heading into today’s key South Division clash against Brewer at Ellsworth High School.

“I didn’t have a great day hitting; I wasn’t seeing the ball well,” said Gale. “I was getting down in the counts 1-2, 0-2 and just going into a defensive mode, trying to foul the ball off or poke it over the infield.”

Kyle Shea said he didn’t see the ball well on a hot shot hit his way by Hampden’s Ian Lee during the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Trenton second baseman stabbed it just in time to start an inning-ending double play that preserved a 5-2 lead.

“I just stuck my glove out at it,” said Shea. “I kind of surprised myself when I looked in my glove.”

That proved to be the game’s key defensive moment as 1-6 Hampden loaded the bases with no one out before the Acadians turned the double play, a play aided by Lee’s inability to sprint to first because he had suffered a hamstring pull Monday while playing in the Frozen Ropes Maine-New Hampshire Senior Baseball Classic at Manchester, N.H.

“At that point, that was a big play in the game,” said Trenton coach Bill Gray. “If [Shea] doesn’t make that, they’ve got second and third and a couple of runs score and they’re right back in it.”

Lefthander Dan Hilts earned the pitching win, scattering six hits over six innings while striking out four, walking two, and hitting two batters. Righthander Travis Estes pitched a complete game for Hampden.

Hampden took a 1-0 lead with an unearned run in the second before Trenton sent 11 batters to the plate during a five-run rally in the top of the third.

A single by Phineas Peake and walks to Andy Pooler and Collin Henry (intentional) loaded the bases with one out. Lucas Marks lined a first-pitch single to right to drive home two runs, and Sam Merrill doubled down the left field line to deliver another run before Gale fought off a 1-2 pitch well enough to hit a bloop opposite-field single to right that plated the final two runs of the inning.

Lee singled to left and scored on an RBI single to right by Tim Kenerson in the bottom of the inning to pull Hampden within 5-2.

But Shea started the key double play in the fourth, and center fielder Peake ranged for a pair of running catches while making all three putouts in the fifth.

Gale added an RBI single in the fifth to extend Trenton’s lead to 6-2, and Pooler singled in the sixth, went to second on Cory Smith’s sacrifice, and scored on two wild pitches for the Acadians’ final run.

Hampden scored its final run in the seventh off Trenton reliever Josh Astbury. Brian Perry had an infield hit, took second on a walk to Joel Neill, and scored on Justin Kelsey’s two-out double to right-center.

ACADIANS 7, RIVER DOGS 3

Trenton (7-0) Hampden (1-6)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Pooler, ss 3 2 1 0 Smith, cf 3 0 0

Smith, rf 2 0 0 0 Morris, c 3 0 0

Henry, 1b 3 1 0 0 Lee, 1b 3 1 1 0

Marks, c 3 1 1 2 Perry, rf 1 1 0

Merrill, dh-3b 3 2 1 1 Neill, lf 2 0

Shea, 2b 2 0 0 0 Kenerson, dh 4 0 1

Jacques, ph 1 0 0 0 Kelsey, 2b 4 0 1

Gale, lf 3 0 3 3 Stephens, 3b 3 1 0

Alexander, ph 1 0 1 0 Farley, rf-1b 3 0

Astbury, 3b-p 2 0 1 0 Hverly-Jhndro, ss 0

Pennartz, 3b 2 0 0 0

Peake, cf 3 1 1 0

Totals 28 7 9 6 Totals 29 3 8 2

Trenton 005 011 0 – 7

Hampden 011 000 1 – 3

E-Marks, Pooler 2; LOB-Trenton 7, Hampden 10; 2B-Merrill; Smith, Kelsey; DP-Shea-Pooler-Henry; Haverly-Johndro-Kelsey-Lee; S-Smith; SB-Pooler, Merrill, Gale, Peake

Trenton IP H R ER BB SO

Hilts (W,2-0) 6 6 2 0 2 4

Astbury 1 2 1 1 1 1

Hampden IP H R ER BB SO

Estes (L,1-1) 7 9 7 7 5 5

HBP-Marks (by Estes); Smith, Morris (by Hilts); WP-Estes 2; Hilts; PB-Morris 4; T-2:10; ATT-75 (est.)