SANFORD — For the second night in a row the Sanford Mainers received a sterling performance from its starting pitcher as Bobby Ruse allowed no runs on just five hits in six strong innings to lead the Mainers to a 3-0 victory over the Valley Blue Sox in a NECBL baseball game at Goodall Park.

It was the seventh win in a row for Sanford (15-8), which retained its one-game lead over the Vermont Mountaineers at the top of the Northern Division.

Sanford got on the board in the first inning as Nick Lovullo singled to lead off and scored on Stevie Berman’s seeing-eye two-out single to right. It was then made 2-0 in the second as Dan Hetzel tripled and scored on Sam Balzano’s infield single with two outs.

Lovullo and Berman then combined again to make it 3-0 in the fifth as the former led off the inning with a single, scoring on the latter’s two-out double to left.

That was all the Mainers pitching staff would need as Ruse largely shut down the Valley (6-16) lineup and was backed up by solid work out of the bullpen by as Tyler Barss, Jeff Singer and Cam Hatch combined to pitch a scoreless last three innings, with Hatch getting the final two outs to record his fifth save of the season.

Sanford will be back in action at Goodall tonight when it hosts the Mystic Schooners at 6:30 p.m. Christian Lavoie (2-0, 1.39 ERA) will get the start for the Mainers.