OLD ORCHARD BEACH — They had already seen 23 years pass before them.

So waiting three more days for the town’s baseball team finally retake the field was no big deal.

As for getting that first home field win, fans of the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide will have to wait a little longer.

The Tide, newly minted members of the NECBL, were dumped by the league’s reigning champions, the North Shore Navigators, 9-3, Tuesday, at the Ballpark.

The contest was played in a steady drizzle, albeit not as persistant as the one that forced postponement of Saturday’s home opener.

But it did hold the turnout down to an announced figure of 255, who witnessed the first contest at the Ballpark by an OOB-based team since 1988 when the Maine Indians folded up their Triple-A offices and left for Scranton.

“We had a good start to the game,” said OOB pitching coach Jared Lemieux, who ran the club while manager Inaki Ormaechea attended to some personal business. “But we let a couple plays get away from us. We’ll clean it up as we start to learn (about) each other. Start to get a feel for who we are and our identity as a team.”

Behind right handed starter Hunter Gordon, the Tide took a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth.

OOB tallied once in each of the first two innings, with second baseman Joseph Carcone having scored the first run and driven in the next one.

Gordon, a Boston College sophomore, struck out five Navigators, and appeared to be rolling until the fifth when he loaded the bases with one out.

North Shore designated hitter Eric Jagielo promptly lashed a first pitch double into center that cleared the bases and made it 3-3.

“We were thinking that with the bases loaded, he was going to be sitting on a fastball,” said catcher Stephen Wadsworth. “So we came with a curve ball. He’s a good hitter, and he turned on it.”

The Navigators followed with a five-run sixth inning, that was fueled by a throwing error by first baseman Fran Whitten.

Old Orchard had little response after that.

CHIN MUSIC: Gordon, who has been used primarily in relief at Boston College, is getting a summer time look as a starter. “Hunter threw really well,” said Wadsworth, who plays for Holy Cross. “He’s used to only throwing two or three innings, so we were getting his pitch count up. He was lights out for four innings.” Nine different hitters collected one hit apiece for the Tide. ”¦ OOB will take the field again tonight in Newport while the Navigators will saunter down to Sanford to meet the Mainers.

— Contact Dan Hickling at dhickling@journaltribune.com or follow on Twitter @DanHickling.