NORTH BERWICK — If the Thornton Academy baseball players had any lingering disappointment from their Western Maine Class A quarterfinal loss to Cheverus last Friday, they didn’t let it get in the way as they started a new season just a week later.

The Fayette-Staples team of Saco, made up mostly of Thornton Academy players, dominated from start to finish in crushing Noble 23-3 in its American Legion season opener Thursday night. The game was stopped due to the mercy rule after the fifth inning.

“It was tough,” Saco shortstop Sam Canales said of the quick turnaround heading into the American Legion season. “It felt good to get back and just forget about it, I guess.”

It didn’t take long for the Saco players to forget as they jumped on Noble from the first pitch, a fastball in the middle of the zone that Canales lined into center for a single. Seven of the next eight batters reached base safely, helped by four walks, a Noble error and two passed balls that allowed runners to move up.

Saco batted around and scored seven runs by the end of the first inning, chasing Noble starter Forrest Holmes from the game without recording an out.  

“I think they were hungry because we know we could have beaten Cheverus,” said Fayette-Staples coach Ray Petit. “I think they were anxious to get back to maybe prove a point.”

Fayette-Staples didn’t let up after the first-inning onslaught, scoring four more runs in the second, three in the third, six in the fourth and three in the fifth before Noble scored its three runs in the bottom of the fifth.

In all, 10 Saco players tallied at least one RBI and every starter reached base at least once. Designated hitter Jon Dupee led the team with four RBIs, going just 1-1 but driving in a run in all four of his plate appearances with a single, a walk and two sacrifices.  

Jack Kenney got the win, pitching three innings of no-run ball before being pulled as Saco continued to add to its sizable lead.

Gordon Potter, Adam Della-Piana and Holmes each drove in a run for Noble, while Brett Burke had three of his team’s six hits.

The dominating opening win solidifies defending champion Fayette Staples’ status as one of the contenders to come out of York County’s Zone Five again this year, but Petit quicky downplayed his team’s position as favorites in the zone.

“I think Marshwood is going to be a tough team, Biddeford’s going to be tough again, Kennebunk could be good, so I think we have a fairly balanced zone,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we’re the odds-on favorite, but we can compete for the title.”

Perhaps most importantly, Saco was errorless against Noble Thursday, good news for a team that struggled with that facet of the game during parts of the high-school season. Petit singled-out his team’s fielding as the key ingredient for success moving forward.

“We hit the ball well, we’re going to pitch alright, but the defense worries me,” he said. “I think we need to sure that up a bit. It’s been a thorn in our side all year. What’s going to make us win the zone or lose the zone is how we play defense.”

Fayette-Staples plays its next game Saturday at home against Massabesic, a team Thornton defeated 8-5 in their only meeting of the high school season.