Westbrook 12

Scarborough 6

Baseball finally returned to local fields last week, as high school teams, who had been forced indoors for much of the preseason, began playing games that counted.

On April 24, the Westbrook Blue Blazes made the trek down to Scarborough to take on the Red Storm to kick off the regular season.

Behind a solid pitching performance with eight strikeouts from Christian Hamilton (1-0), the Blazes led wire-to-wire, topping Scarborough 12-6. Jacob Rutt (0-1) picked up the loss for the Red Storm.

Westbrook jumped out to an early lead in the game, as the first five hitters reached, scoring four runs for the Blazes. Centerfielder Lance Ludka opened the game with a single, but he quickly moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Leftfielder Chad Egeland got the first RBI of the season for the Blue Blazes with a long double that brought Ludka home.

Shortstop Matt Foye then cranked out another double, scoring Egeland, and the Blazes were up 2-0. Hamilton, batting cleanup, brought Foye home with a sharp single, and he scored on the next at-bat when freshman second baseman Zach Collett singled.

With the score 4-0, Rutt finally settled down, striking out Shawn McAlpine and getting Zach Gardener to ground into a double play to end the inning.

After Hamilton set the Storm down in order in the bottom of the first, Rutt returned the favor in the top of the second, and then Scarborough got back into the game with a three-run bottom of the second.

Centerfielder Chris Bernard got things going with a leadoff single. Third baseman Ian Ramsdell got Scarborough’s first RBI of the season with a double, scoring Bernard. Leftfielder Logan Oliver brought Ramsdell home on a single and he would eventually score.

With the score 4-3 after two, it seemed that Scarborough had gotten right back into the game. But the Blazes answered back with some fireworks of their own, scoring three times in the top of the third to regain their four-run advantage.

Hamilton got things going with a single and a stolen base. He would score on a play when Collett reached on an error by Scarborough first baseman Ben O’Connor. McAlpine brought Collett home with a double. After Rutt struck out rightfielder Tyler Kelly and catcher Tayler Clouatre, third baseman Zach Gardener moved McAlpine to third with a single. Ludka then singled, scoring McAlpine, but a strong throw from Oliver to Ramsdell cut down Gardener at third, ending the inning with the score 7-3.

Hamilton set the Red Storm down in order in the bottom of the third, and Rutt set the Blazes down in order in the top of the fourth.

Scarborough got one run back in the bottom of the fourth inning when Ramsdell hit a long double to right to lead off the inning and came around to score to make it 7-4 in favor of the Blazes.

Westbrook blew the game open in the top of the fifth, scoring four runs on just three hits. Collett opened the inning by reaching on an error, McAlpine moved him over with a single and then Tyler Kelly walked to load the bases.

Clouatre stepped to the plate for Westbrook and got two RBIs on a long double, and then Gardener scored Kelly on a single. Ludka knocked in Clouatre by reaching on a fielder’s choice, but he wasn’t able to score, despite stealing his second base of the game.

Scarborough made the score 11-5 in the bottom of the fifth when shortstop Jimmy Rousse singled and then stole a base to put himself in scoring position for Rutt, who knocked him in with a single.

Scarborough added one more run in the sixth, when Rutt knocked in O’Connor, who had walked to open the inning.

Westbrook got one more run in the top of the seventh when Steve Lebel, subbing for Gardener, walked, stole a base and scored on a Foye triple making the final score 12-6, and giving the Blazes their first win of the season.