SACO — The margin of error was slim for Fayette-Staples and Staples Crossing, as both teams’ starting pitchers were on-point on Thursday. One break for Staples Crossing in the top of the seventh was the difference as the visitors survived a pitchers duel to win 3-1 in an American Legion baseball game at Thornton Academy in Saco.

Neither team found much success against Fayette-Staples’ Dillon Dunbar and Staples Crossing’s Robert Jones, who combined to give up just nine hits.

“It’s a good battle ”¦ two pitchers doing good. You always want to be the better one coming out of it,” said Dunbar.

The first hit of the game didn’t come until the bottom of the second, when Drew Gelinas dropped a single just under the glove of Staples Crossing right fielder Jordan Roberge in shallow left with two outs. Jones then got Matt Rutherford to ground out back to the mound to end the inning.

Roberge then led off the top of the third with a single to center. Dunbar struck out the next two batters, but Roberge advanced all the way to third on two wild pitches. He was stranded there, however, as Max McCoomb grounded out to end the threat.

“You can tell he didn’t rattle at all. Early in the game he had men on base, but he just settled in,” said Fayette-Staples head coach Ray Petit. “I think his maturity showed tonight.

“I thought he pitched great. He got a ton of groundballs, he struck some people out. This is his first extended outing this summer. He did a great job.”

Fayette-Staples was able to strike as Jones slipped some in the third, but couldn’t break the game open. After C.J. Pendleton flew out to right to lead off the inning, Justin Campbell-Cloutier hit a hard single past short. Ryder Kenney then drew a walk, but Jones struck out Ben Lambert on a 3-2 pitch for the second out. Caleb Burpee connected on the first pitch he saw for a double down the third base line that drove in Campbell-Cloutier. That was all Fayette-Staples could muster, however, as Fallon flew out to McCoomb in foul territory to strand two runners in scoring position.

Staples Crossing answered with a single run in the top of the fourth. Jake Lebel doubled to deep left-center with one out, and moved to third on a single by Tyler Pratt. Luke Stankovich tied the game with a sacrifice fly to deep left, but Dunbar kept the score tied by getting Roberge to ground out to first to end the inning.

Jones allowed just three base runners over the final four innings, and only Lambert reaching second after an infield single and a groundout representing any real threat.

“These guys have seen him enough. I don’t know why he mystifies us. We should have figured him out by now,” said Petit. “He plays at his pace. And we need to do more things to disrupt him, and we didn’t do it.”

Staples Crossing caught its break in the top of the seventh. Dunbar struck out Tyler Pratt to lead off the inning, and looked to get a second out when Stankovich hit a grounder to short. But Stankovich hustled down the line and beat out the throw by Kenney on a close play at first. Dunbar then struck out Roberge, but Deion Stewart drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch to keep the inning going. Jones then made sure his outing on the mound was not in vain, as he found the gap in left-center to drive in two runs with a double. Alex McLean flew out to center for the third out, but the damage was already done.

“That changed the inning,” said Petit. “They don’t score, that’s three outs. But those are the breaks of the game. We didn’t get that call.”

“It’s a bad break, but you just got to keep going and battle through it,” said Dunbar. “Late in the seventh ”¦ (my arm) was getting tired.”

Jones didn’t let Fayette-Staples put up much of a fight in the bottom of the frame, save for hitting Matt Rutherford with a pitch with one out. Jones got Pendleton to strike out swinging, then caught Campbell-Cloutier looking at a 3-2 pitch to end the game.

All that’s left of the regular season for Fayette-Staples is a doubleheader at Noble on Saturday. How the twin bill turns out will determine where the team finishes among the playoff contenders, and if it will host a zone 5 semifinal, or if it has to go on the road.

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 323. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.