While both the Westbrook Blue Blazes and South Portland Red Riots struggled to score runs during the high school season, the summer has both teams’ bats heating up early in the American Legion season.

Westbrook and South Portland (Morrill Post) split their doubleheader on Saturday, June 23. Westbrook took the first game 8-2 before South Portland got their revenge in the second game, 16-1.

After falling behind early in the first game, Westbrook used a four run bottom of the second to take a 4-1 lead and never look back.

Austin Blake finished the game with two hits and three RBI for Westbrook while Ethan Nash pitched a complete game, giving up only two runs.

The opening win was a pleasant sign for Westbrook coach Greg Souza, who has been using the summer as an evaluation process for next year’s squad.

“Obviously, we want to win,” said Souza, who watched his high school team struggle down the stretch in the spring. With a massive amount of turnover from the previous year and the graduation of 11 seniors, Souza understands that talent does not always guarantee wins.

“Winning is a skill,” said Souza. “They’re there, they just need to believe it. It’s more of a mind game.”

“My goal is to blend these guys together so that they can believe in themselves.”

The performance of Blake and Nash on Saturday certainly helped that process as the two were predominantly JV performers this past season.

In the second game of the morning-afternoon doubleheader, Westbrook struggled from the get-go.

Brandon Rogers got the start in second game but was erratic from the get go.

“Rogers just couldn’t find the plate,” said Souza.

Rogers walked five in the first and surrendered four hits allowing South Portland to score 10 runs in the first before recording a single out.

“We came out swinging,” said South Portland coach Mike Owens. “They walked a couple of guys and we just took advantage.

South Portland’s Brendan Horton was the catalyst as he went 2 for 4 on the day with three RBI.

South Portland, who, like Westbrook, struggled during the spring to score runs, has finally been able to heat up their bats.

“It did a lot,” said Owens, of his team’s 10-run explosion in the first. “We struggled this spring to score runs. We’ve come out this summer swinging the bats well. We’ve had a nice approach at the plate. They just have a lot of confidence.”

The lone bright spot in the second game for Westbrook was the inning of work put in by Zach Bean, who was shutdown towards the end of the spring season with an injury.