Post 91 – the American Legion baseball squad comprised primarily of players from Freeport and Yarmouth – jumped to an early lead at Cheverus on Thusday evening with Pete LaMagna grabbing a run in the first.

But Yankee Ford – that’s the Deering/Cheverus outfit – turned things round in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on a couple errors and a timely double by Ian Westphal to ultimately win 2-1.

Despite the loss, and despite a lineup that’s prone to shifting because players have other summer responsibilities besides baseball, Post 91 still has plenty of talent to work with and could make a strong run at the playoffs, come the end of this month.

“I think it will be more consistent,” Post 91 coach Bill Ridge said of the availability of personnel. “Other leagues are starting to wrap up; people have gone on vacations, a lot of those things are wrapping up.

“So I feel like we’re going to start having better attendance in the next few weeks. Guys are going to get comfortable playing next to one another, and people are going to know what their roles are.”

LaMagna walked onto base with two outs in the top of the first, then advanced another 90 feet when Luke Klenda walked just behind him. LaMagna reached home during Jack Davenport’s at-bat; an error at first gave Post 91’s runners the time they needed to get to their respective destinations.

Post 91 couldn’t seem to extend their narrow lead, but they did fend off Yankee Ford through the next several inning. LaMagna, a top-notch pitcher, threw some quality work from the mound – it wasn’t his best day, but it wasn’t his worst, either; he notched four Ks, gave up four hits, and walked only two.

“Pete started off right on,” said Ridge. “He was on-point on everything for the first three or four innings, then just started struggling to find the strike zone.

“He’s up to probably 80 or 90 innings on the year, including high school. He’s probably starting to wear down a little bit. He’s starting pretty much every other game for this team.”

In the fifth, though, Yankee Ford’s Alex Jacobs reached first on an error by Post 91 third baseman Joe DeFusco. Westphal’s double to wide rightfield put Jacobs on third.

“The one that DeFusco made, it was going to his left,” said Ridge. “He came up a little quick and tried to make a play on it, and there’s good speed going down the first-base line. So I think that’s just the nature of trying to make a play on a quick runner.

Jacobs scored when Post 91 shortstop Jack Davenport erred during Felix DelVecchio’s at-bat. DelVecchio hit a tricky grounder in Davenport’s direction.

“The one that Davenport made,” said Ridge, “he was coming across the middle around the bag, and that was that high chopper, that he was going to have to make a quick play. He almost recovered to make the out.”

Westphal crossed home on a single by Pat Viola, and now Deering/Cheverus held the edge.

They would keep hold of it, too, all the way through the top of the seventh, Post 91’s last ups and their last opportunity to come back.

Post 91’s next matchup is Tuesday, July 14, at 5:45 at Cumberland/Gray-New Gloucester.

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Post 91 third baseman Joe DeFusco aims a throw toward first.Shortstop Jack Davenport aims a throw toward first as, in the foreground, a Yankee Ford runner tries to beat the ball to the bag.Pete LaMagna is a reliable force on the mound, but his arm has seen a lot of innings in the past three months.Nate Cyr fouls off a pitch.Post 91 first baseman Luke Klenda underhands a ball toward a teammate rushing in to cover his bag.Post 91 second baseman Justin McKenna lays the tag down on Yankee Ford’s Felix DelVecchio as DelVecchio descends into his slide.