LEWISTON

Last year’s Senior American Legion baseball Zone 2 championship game between Pastime Club of Lewiston and Bessey Motors of Oxford Hills was an epic, and tense, 16-inning affair, won by Bessey as darkness fell on Gouin Athletic Complex in South Paris.

In the rematch on Monday at Elliot Field, Pastime southpaw Hunter Landry made sure there was no repeat performance.

Landry tossed a six-hit shutout as top-seeded Pastime Club handed No. 2 Bessey Motors a 3-0 setback.

Pastime will next play in the state tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the North’s No. 3 team (to be announced). The tournament will be held at Husson University.

Landry, a contact pitcher, received solid play from his defense. He had just two strikeouts.

“My fielders were working. Fielding for me is important, being a contact pitcher, and the fielding behind me today was solid,” said Landry.

His offense provided two big runs in the second inning, led by former Lisbon High School standout Nick Lerette, whose two-out RBI single plated Evan Cox with the game-winning run.

“He is a great teammate whether he is playing well or not, and just gives the dugout some great energy,” said Pastime Club (15-3) coach Jake Brown of Lerette, who was 2-for-3 on Monday. “He puts it into perspective for the other guys, showing how much fun playing legion baseball can be.”

Having not picked up a glove or bat since last year while attending Southern Maine Community College, Lerette has worked hard during the season to find his swing. A minor adjustment has helped, with Lerette making solid contact over the past several contests.

“I made a minor change, changed up my stance, and my dad said I was over-striding, so I shortened up a little bit and it worked,” said Lerette. “This lineup is always dangerous, and you can’t consider one person that is always a ground out or an automatic out. When we are all on, we are dangerous.”

Early lead

Landry faced trouble in the opening inning, but a key pickoff of leadoff hitter Cam Slicer and a nice grab in the outfield by right-fielder Gordon Beckwith kept Bessey off the board.

In the bottom of the frame, Bessey Motors pitcher Wyatt Williamson began an inning-ending double play to send the game to the second inning scoreless.

A double play by Pastime ended the Bessey (15-4) second, and the hosts went to work in its second swings. Cox worked a walk and moved to second on a slow hit ground ball by Lucas Francis. With two outs, Lerette lined a single to center field for a 1-0 lead. Beckwith followed with a single, and No. 9 hitter Cooper Millett dropped an RBI single into left field for a 2-0 lead.

“They really came up big in some big spots, came in clutch, and if we get the bottom of the order going we will be a really tough lineup,” said Brown after watching the bottom three hitters in his lineup — Lerette, Beckwith and Millett — combine for six of his team’s 11 hits. “If you hit the ball, we will find a spot for you, and we saw some guys who really are wanting to earn that spot in the lineup.”

Both teams threatened over the next three innings. Jonny Pruett walked and moved into scoring position for Bessey Motors in the third, and Williamson singled and advanced two bases on Landry wild pitches in the fifth. But, the lefty retired the final two hitters on fly balls to keep the visitors off the board.

Landry’s first strikeout came in the sixth with runners at the corners with two outs.

Lerette and Beckwith, who went 3-for-3, singled in the fourth with one out but failed to score, and Cox was in scoring position in the fifth.

“Both teams will go to states, but you could tell that it was intense game and both teams wanted it,” said Brown.

Pastime Club added its final run in the sixth. Hunter Richardson led off with a single and stole second. Williamson’s pickoff attempt bounced into center field, allowing Richardson to move up 90 feet. Beckwith followed with an RBI single for a 3-0 advantage.

Landry’s only 1-2-3 frame came in the seventh, with a shallow fly ball to center field ending the game.

“You want to have that momentum, and no matter what, when you have a chance to win a championship, you have to go for it. This is how you get better, playing good teams like Bessey,” Brown said.

Hunter LaBossiere was 2- for-3 for Bessey Motor, while Williamson went the distance on the mound with one walk and 11 hits allowed.

For Pastime Club, Brock Belanger was 2-for-4.