NORTH BERWICK — In the pecking order of baseball losses, the one-run setback ranks near the top of the list.
And when the winning run scores on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh, and the left-on-base tally reaches 11 (including eight runners in scoring position), such as happened to Biddeford in its 4-3 heartbreaker at the hands of Noble Tuesday, it definitely tops that list.
Little wonder then that Tigers third baseman Cory Greenleaf was prompted to say, “don’t put that one in the paper.”
The Tigers’ tale was a happy one for the better part of five innings, during which they built a 3-0 lead.
Starting pitcher Nate McKeown wiggled out of tight spots in the first and third innings, but was still cruising when he received a run in the top of the fourth with which to work.
Nick Leblond reached on an error to lead off, then moved to second when McKeown singled to left.
One out later, Corey Collard singled in Leblond.
The Tigers (1-1) tallied twice more in the fifth, when Brady Fleurent singled to center, then was followed aboard by Taylor Reuillard, who walked.
Both runners came in on Leblond’s single to right.
The Knights (1-1), however, answered back in the bottom of the fifth with three runs off McKeown to tie the game, 3-3.
“I knew it was going to be a close game,” said Biddeford coach Keith LeBlanc. “We let them hang around and hang around. They’ll beat you because they’re a scrappy team.”
In the top of the seventh, Biddeford had a golden opportunity to regain the lead after Pat Wilson and Leblond both singled.
One out later, Greenleaf reached on an infield single to load the bases.
Noble hurler Corey Halliday, who hurled a complete game, fanned Collard to end the threat.
“It was just one of those games,” said LeBlanc, “where we couldn’t get the bats going. We had a lot of situations where we had runners on second and third or first and second. Baseball’s a sport where you need those timely hits. It just didn’t happen, I guess.”
The Knights pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the seventh, after singles by Gordon Potter and Brendan Riel, plus an intentional walk to Halliday that loaded the bases.
Potter scored the winning run on a wild pitch.
Biddeford will play again Thursday at Gorham.
— Contact Dan Hickling at 282-1535.
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