SACO — What Fayette-Staples’ weakness was supposed to be this summer was its hitting, according to head coach Ray Petit. That weakness turned out to be its strength on Saturday, as Fayette-Staples scored 20 runs on 22 hits in a doubleheader sweep against Bonanza in an American Legion baseball game at Thornton Academy.

“Thursday’s game was a struggle. Today, I thought we took a better approach,” said Fayette-Staples assistant coach Karl Lagasse. “We swung at good pitches, and got good breaks all around. We hit the ball hard, and this time, it didn’t go at people.”

The hits didn’t come immediately, as Bonanza’s first-game starter James Roche made it through two innings without giving up a hit. Fayette-Staples loaded the bases in the first on a fielder’s choice, hit by pitch, and an error, but couldn’t plate a run. After a 1-2-3 inning in the second, the Fayette-Staples bats woke up. Matt Rutherford hit a one-out triple to center, then scored when Caleb Burpee followed with a single past short.

Rutherford’s was the first hit of the game for either team, but Fayette-Staples trailed after three innings. Bonanza scored single runs in the first and second, first on two walks and an error, then on a walk, a stolen base, a groundout, and a wild pitch. Fayette-Staples starting pitcher Drew Gelinas didn’t allow a hit through four innings, and his offense rewarded him in the bottom of the fourth.

Fayette-Staples sent eight batters to the plate in the inning, and scored three runs on two hits, two hit by pitches, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

Bonanza tied the game at 4-4 in the top of the fifth as it finally scratched a hit off of Gelinas. Ryan Camire led off the inning with a single through the right side of the infield, and later scored on a sacrifice fly. Ethan Gouin, who reached on a fielding error, scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

Fayette-Staples scored five more runs in the sixth off Bonanza reliever Slade Watson. The first four batters of the inning reached, with Alex Fallon drawing a walk to bring in the first run. After Watson picked up a strikeout and a pop out, Justin Campbell-Cloutier hit a pinch-hit double that cleared the bases. Connor Purvis then singled to right-center for the final run ”“ and hit ”“ of the first game for Fayette-Staples, which won 9-5.

“I think us being young, we just ran out of gas a little bit,” said Bonanza head coach Rick Gouin.

The home team then wasted no time getting on the board in the second game, as Fayette-Staples scored five runs in the first inning on five hits and three walks. Rutherford and Gelinas both tripled in the inning ”“ with Rutherford’s father joking that his son had never even triple twice playing Wiffle ball.

“That first inning of the second game was definitely good to get a good cushion for us, and I think that kind of relaxed us, and let us be more comfortable at the plate,” said Lagasse.

The early run support helped Rutherford on the mound, and he quieted a young Bonanza offense, holding the visitors to just four hits and one run. That lone run came in the top of the first, as Camire led off by reaching on an error, advanced to third on another error, and scored on a sacrifice fly.

“(He) had a good curveball, (and) we couldn’t hit it,” Gouin said of Rutherford.

After jumping on Bonanza starter Cody Mooney for five runs in the first inning, Fayette-Staples scored two more in the fourth against Gouin in relief. Fallon led off by getting hit by a pitch, then moved around the bases on a stolen base and a wild pitch. Gelinas then ripped a single down the first base line to plate Fallon. A double play wiped Gelinas off the bases, but Gouin gave up back-to-back singles to Cam Jackman and Campbell-Cloutier ”“ with fielding errors causing further damage on both hits ”“ to bring home Fayette-Staples’ seventh run.

“They hit the ball well, we didn’t,” said Gouin.

Fayette-Staples ended the game early via mercy rule in the fifth, as reliever Jacob Downing failed to record an out. Pinch hitter Taylor Cooper led off with a walk. Three consecutive hits then drove home two more runs, and wild pitches to consecutive batters brought home the final two, as Fayette-Staples won the second game 11-1.

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 323.