OLD ORCHARD BEACH – A sixth-inning Joey Francoeur homer was good for two runs Saturday afternoon, but it wasn’t enough for Windham to catch Marshwood, as the Eagles fell 4-2 to the Hawks at the SMAA tournament.

The SMAA tournament is a bit of a postseason warmup for the league’s top four teams. Windham now heads into the Class A West playoffs, where they are the No. 3 seed. They were set to take on visiting Biddeford, preliminary winners over Gorham, on Thursday, after the Lakes Region Weekly’s deadline.

“We could’ve had a few more runs in that stretch,” Windham head coach Brody Artes said, after the game. “We made some key mistakes, both offensively and defensively. We could’ve scored at least one more run, if not two.”

The Hawks posted their first two runs after a scoreless inning and a half. Peter Lajeunesse’s drive to center brought home Jordan Roberge, and though Alex McLean’s follow-up ball deep to center landed in the fielder’s glove then beat Lajeunesse to third for the double play, it also gave Robert Jones time to dash across the plate from second, setting the score at 2-0.

Marshwood added another in the third, on a home run over the left-center wall by Zach Quintal. The Eagles, however, declawed their opponents for the fourth, turning some nimble defensive maneuvers, including one by second basemen Tanner Laberge, who fielded a Lajeunnesse grounder backhanded, flipping the ball in the one swift motion to shortstop Spencer Hodge to catch Jones out on his way from first.

The Hawks finalized their output for the day in the fifth, scoring once more on a pair of walks and a pair of hits before Windham rightfielder Calvin Field cupped a lazy pop fly by Noah McDaniel and ushered the Eagles out of danger.

In the top of the sixth, Windham’s turn to round the bases had finally come. Nate Boyle lined the ball past the diving Marshwood shortstop and into left field, earning himself a spot on first. As it turned out, a spot on first was all he needed, as Francoeur then stepped in the box and belted a drive that dropped past the Hawks’ centerfielder. The throw to third went long, way long, giving Francoeur time to make it home, hot on Boyle’s tail.

“We just needed to get over the hump,” Artes said. “We had to score a run somehow, and we needed to get a base-runner on and around and Nate did a good job of fighting off a 1-2 pitch. And then Joey came up with that big hit. And he pushed hard with it – he’s not the fastest runner, by all means, but through the heat and everything, he got to third, put the pressure on the fielders to make a bad throw, and good things happened.”

But 4-2 is where the scoring stopped; Windham couldn’t build on the charge they’d started.

“To keep the momentum going, we definitely [needed] to get more base runners on,” Artes said. “That’s been a key for us all year, is to get guys on, put the pressure on teams, and make the plays. We’re pretty good on the base paths, so we’re not very good if we don’t have anyone out there.”

Quintal gets the Hawks’ win, while Shawn Francoeur takes the loss for the Eagles.

Windham also succumbed, 2-1, to Marshwood in the teams’ season opener, back on April 19. But Artes seemed unfazed Saturday by the pair of defeats. “It’s good to see Marshwood again…They’re a very good baseball team. We’ve been hearing a lot about how they’ve been swinging the bats very well. They’re definitely a very good-hitting team, probably the best-hitting team in the conference right now. It’s good to…learn about that.

“It’s good to just get out, get some at-bats, get some reps. And even though the game didn’t necessarily mean anything from the playoff standpoint, it was obviously great to get out and play the game today.”

The Eagles celebrate Joey Francoeur’s (30) two-run inside-the-park home run.
Windham’s Andrew Whiting in the batter’s box.
Eagles second baseman Tanner Laberge tags out a Marshwood baserunner caught in a pickle.
Eagles pitcher Shawn Francoeur rips the ball towards home.