SANFORD — When the game is stingy, you take whatever it will give you.

Wednesday, the Sanford Mainers grabbed just enough to scrape out a 3-2 win over the Holyoke Blue Sox, before a full house at Goodall Park.

Mike Montville’s eighth-inning single scored Marlon Calbi with the go ahead run, which was backed up by closer Tyler Mizenko’s nervy save in the ninth.

It all served to push the Mainers back into a tie for first with the Newport Gulls in the Eastern Division.

“We didn’t hit as well as we’d like to (have) the whole game,” said Montville. “But we manufactured runs when we needed them.

The process of cobbling began late.

The Mainers were no-hit for 6.2 innings by Holyoke righthander Kyle Hooper, who kept Sanford hitters off balance with a crafty assortment of pitches while nursing a 1-0 lead.

“He had four pitches that he threw for strikes,” said Montville. “All of them were very good pitches. His off speed pitches moved and he threw them in all counts.”

Hooper went 0-1 to designated hitter Matt Verrier before Verrier yanked a single through the left side of the infield.

John Sulzicki followed with a single to right, then Pat Devlin plated both runners with a line-hugging double to left.

“Our hitters had to adjust to what he (Hooper) was throwing,” said Sanford Manager Aaron Izaryk. “He was pumping strikes, we had our swings big, and we had to make an adjustment.”

Holyoke knotted the score, 2-2, with a run in the top of the eighth, but the Mainers promptly replied with a tally in the bottom of the frame.

Calbi, leading off the inning was hit by a pitch, then was sacrificed to second by Brett Mollenhauer.

Montville followed with his clutch hit into the gap that allowed Calbi to score standing up.

“Me an Brett said ”˜let’s manufacture a run,’” said Montville. “And that’s exactly what we did.”

Jason Patten, the third of four Mainers pitchers, recorded the win.

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