Bessey Motors catcher Wyatt Williamson tags out Locke Mills’ Josh Eliot while Zachary Hill looks on during the second game of an American Legion baseball doubleheader in Paris on Saturday.
PARIS — Bessey Motors had to wait three hours to start its American Legion baseball doubleheader against Jackson Silver Post of Locke Mills due to rain overnight. So what was another wait to score runs?
The club from Oxford Hills came on strong late to win game one, 8-1, then scored its game-winning run even later in game two, a 5-4 walk-off win in eight innings at Tim Bryant Memorial Field on Saturday.
It was nearly an hour after the 12:30 p.m. start of the opener that the Bessey Motors (3-1) offense woke up. After collecting just one hit off Locke Mills starting pitcher Nick L’Heureux through the first four innings, Bessey Motors got its bats in gear with two outs in the fifth.
Connor Truman doubled down the third-base line to break up 12 straight batters set down by L’Heureux, a streak that started after Hunter LaBossiere’s single in the first. Wyatt Williamson followed by reaching on a throwing error that scored Truman for the game’s first run, then Rodney Bean singled home pinch runner Trent Spaulding to make it 2-0 Bessey Motors.
The hosts then kept the foot on the gas in the bottom of the sixth. LaBossiere, Ashton Kennison and Troy Johnson all singled to load the bases with nobody out. Emery Chickering was hit by a pitch to bring home a run, then a Truman sacrifice fly drove in another. Williamson laid down a sacrifice bunt to score a third run, then RBI singles by Bean and Cam Slicer followed.
That signaled the end for L’Heureux, who finished with eight hits allowed while striking out four and walking a batter.
“That first game, that guy pitched really well against us, and then we had a great inning,” Bessey Motors manager Shane Slicer said.
Boston Ludden came on in relief and was greeted by a Brayden Bean grounder that turned into an error and the final Bessey Motors run.
Locke Mills (3-3), which stranded two runners in each of the first two innings and a single runner in each of the next two, finally put a run across in the top of the seventh against Bessey Motors starter Blake Slicer.
Mason Henley led off with a single and moved to third on a pair of wild pitches. Tanner Wheeler then drove him in with another single. Slicer then ended the game with a couple strikeouts and a groundout to finish with five hits allowed and five strikeouts.
Slicer allowed two walks that nearly hurt him in the first two innings.
Hunter Day led off the game with a walk on four pitches, then stole second. But a Henley lineout turned into a double play when Day was caught off second. Wheeler then reached on an error but was caught in a pickle to end inning.
Caleb Clarke walked on a 3-2 pitch to lead off the second. A Jacob Kraske single then moved him to second, and a groundout by Ayden DeSanctis put both runners in scoring position.
Then the worst-case scenario happened for Locke Mills. Josh Eliot grounded back to Slicer, who faked toward home before firing to third to get Clarke out. The third baseman Chickering threw to Rodney Bean at second, who then tossed to shortstop Brayden Bean to tag out Kraske for the third out.
“We started off aggressive. They’re just a very solid defense team,” Locke Mills manager Skip Bennett said. “I think that tends to be the style of the players. I don’t want to change it, but we need to learn to adapt a little better.
“A solid defense like that, and I think some of our guys were acting under their own habits to advance the way that they’re comfortable with. And I think that bit us a few times. A couple coaching errors — errors on my part, sending a couple slower runners that I thought might be able to pull it out — that didn’t help.”
A pickoff after a one-out single in the third and a double play after a one-out single in the fourth snuffed out other Locke Mills chances.
“Defensively I thought we were pretty solid, especially our first game,” Slicer said.
The Bessey Motors defense wasn’t nearly as solid to start the second game. Day was hit by a Troy Johnson pitch to lead off the game, then a passed ball moved him all the way to third. Henley drove in Day with a sacrifice fly to get the Locke Mills offense started.
Wheeler walked on four pitches to follow, then advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw. L’Heureux reached on another error to put runners at the corners, and Wheeler took advantage of his place on the base paths, scoring when L’Heureux was picked off first.
Bessey Motors got one run back in the bottom half of the inning. Cam Slicer led off by walking on a 3-2 count, then moved around to score on a stolen base, a passed ball and a LaBossiere groundout.
A two-out Rodney Bean double followed by a LaBossiere single tied the game 2-2 in the third.
Locke Mills answered in the top of the fourth, assisted by the Bessey Motors defense. Clarke walked with one out, then as he stole second, two throwing errors brought him around to score.
“It was rare for them to make an error, but when they did we were taking advantage of it,” Bennett said.
The visitors added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Zachary Hill led off with a single, then moved to second on a walk draw by Eliot. Kraske grounded into a fielder’s choice at third, but was able to reach base thanks to an errant throw to first. Eliot tried to score on the error, but Kennison’s throw from off first to Williamson at home was in time for the out.
Kraske made it to third on the play, then scored on DeSanctis’ single. Consecutive errors loaded the bases, but Johnson induced a fly out to get out of the jam.
“We made three errors in an inning and only gave up (one run),” Slicer said. “With the bases loaded, getting out of that was huge for us. We only had to score two in the seventh, instead of four or five.
Two was all Bessey Motors needed, and two was what the hosts got against Clarke. Truman came on to pinch hit and smacked a one-out double to deep center. Cam Slicer singled to put runners at the corners, then Truman scored on a double steal, with Slicer advancing on an errant throw. Clarke got to within one out of closing out the win with a strikeout, but LaBossiere hit the next pitch to right for a single to tie the game.
“The second (game), we were a little sluggish, we made some mistakes. But even down by two in the last inning they found a way. Down to our last out, found a way,” Slicer said. “I give them a lot of credit for battling.”
Chickering relieved Johnson in the eighth and had a quick inning, thanks to a double play. Clarke lasted one batter into the bottom of the frame before leaving after walking Johnson on a 3-2 pitch. Day came on and cleanly fielded Chickering’s sacrifice bunt. Parker LaFrance hit a fly-out for the second out, then Williamson’s grounder looked primed for the third, but the connection to first was completed thanks to an off-target throw, and Johnson crossed the plate for the game-winning run.
“(Williamson) is catching 15 innings today, and I think his approach is we still got a chance,” Slicer said. “And obviously he didn’t worry about 15 innings of catching, he was worried about winning the baseball game down the stretch, and he came through for us.”
“It was a good battle all the way through, both games,” Bennett said. “We’ll see them again. We’ll see what happens then.”
wkramlich@sunjournal.com
Locke Mills’ Caleb Clarke slides back into first ahead of a pickoff throw intended for Bessey Motors first baseman Ashton Kennison during the second game of an American Legion baseball doubleheader in Paris on Saturday.
Bessey Motors’ Ashton Kennison jumps into his slide while Locke Mills catcher Mason Henley awaits a throw during the first game of an American Legion baseball doubleheader in Paris on Saturday.
Locke Mills’ Nick L’Heureux follows through on a pitch during the first game of an American Legion baseball doubleheader against Bessey Motors in Paris on Saturday
Bessey Motors’ Blake Slicer follows through on a pitch during the first game of an American Legion baseball doubleheader against Locke Mills in Paris on Saturday
Locke Mills’ Caleb Clarke delivers a pitch during the second game of an American Legion baseball doubleheader against Bessey Motors in Paris on Saturday.
Locke Mills’ Hunter Day grounds a ball into the infield during the first game of an American Legion baseball doubleheader against Bessey Motors in Paris on Saturday.
Bessey Motors’ Rodney Bean rounds third as manager Shane Slicer looks on during the second game of an American Legion baseball doubleheader against Locke Mills in Paris on Saturday.
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