PORTLAND – Westbrook exploded in the top of the seventh against Cheverus Tuesday afternoon, scoring six runs to turn a slim 3-2 lead into a gaping 9-2 win behind back-to-back shots to the outfield by Kyle Schumacher and Collin Joyce.

The Blue Blazes go to 6-1 on the season, while the Stags drop to 4-3.

“We’ve been, like, a fourth-inning [team] – that’s usually when we start getting going,” Westbrook head coach Greg Souza said after the game. “Once through the order and then these guys have figured it out. But I’m real happy with these guys.”

Neither team posted much offense in the first six innings. The Blue Blazes trickled in a couple runs in the third, and one more in the fourth, while the Stags tallied one in the third and another in the sixth, setting the score at 3-2 and tightening the tension. The end of the game begged for something big to happen.

In the top of the seventh, Westbrook catcher Kyle Heath stepped into the batter’s box and drove a shot into center, landing on first base. Heath stole second during pitcher Keenan Lowe’s at-bat, and Lowe then chopped a bouncy grounder that just cleared the outstretched glove of the leaping Cheverus shortstop, sending Heath home and Lowe onto first. Westbrook had opened the lead a little, 4-2.

Then, Derek Bouchard thumped the ball to shallow left-center, sticking at first while Lowe went to second. Aaron Duncanson stepped in to pinch-run for Lowe, and though Austin Blake next struck out, Duncanson had time to tear to third. Caleb Kent walked onto first before Brent Goodenow knocked a short grounder in the direction of third, allowing Duncanson to dash home, ratcheting the score to 5-2, while Bouchard took his place on third, Kent sped to second, and Goodenow stopped at first: bases loaded.

Up stepped Shumacher. He wasted little time cannoning the ball into center, driving home Bouchard and Kent and getting himself to first. It wasn’t his only huge swing of the day. He had two doubles and the single in four at-bats, and two runs of his own in addition to his pair of RBIs.

“Shumacher’s the guy I’m like, ‘You swing at the first pitch; they throw you a fastball every time,’” Souza said. “Today he figured it out: ‘First-pitch fastball, coach!’ I’ve been telling him all year [to swing at the first pitch] for two years. Big, big, big at-bats.”

Joyce followed Shumacher to the plate and, as if feeling inspired, belted a double down the right-field line. Goodenow and Shumacher crossed home, and suddenly what had been a 3-2 game not 10 minutes before was now a 9-2 blowout.

Souza also praised pitcher Lowe for his skill and resilience. “He had some pop-ups that didn’t go our way, but he battled, kept throwing strikes,” the coach said.

Lowe gets the victory, having thrown five strikeouts. Mitchell Powers absorbs the loss, despite having thrown seven strikeouts of his own.

Souza expressed admiration for Cheverus’s pitcher, and pride in his squad for their success at the plate.

“It’s a big test,” Souza said, “going against Powers. To put up 10 hits against him is that’s kind of [how] we judge, hitting a good pitcher, one of the top guys in the league. These guys should be really happy with themselves; a lot of guys did a lot of hard work.”

Westbrook takes a four-game win streak home again on Thursday at 4 p.m., when they face 2-5 Massabesic. Cheverus hopes to break a three-game losing streak against unbeaten Marshwood. That home matchup is also scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m.

Westbrook catcher Kyle Heath tags out Cheverus’s Felix del Vecchio as he slides home.
Westbrook first baseman Zach Bean mans his defensive post.
Austin Blake takes a cut at the plate Tuesday afternoon.
Westbrook’s Keenan Lowe, mid-pitch.
Cheverus second basemen Felix del Vecchio and Westbrook runner Caleb Kent collide on the bag.

PORTLAND – Westbrook exploded in the top of the seventh against Cheverus Tuesday afternoon, scoring six runs to turn a slim 3-2 lead into a gaping 9-2 win behind back-to-back shots to the outfield by Kyle Schumacher and Collin Joyce.

The Blue Blazes go to 6-1 on the season, while the Stags drop to 4-3.

“We’ve been, like, a fourth-inning [team] – that’s usually when we start getting going,” Westbrook head coach Greg Souza said after the game. “Once through the order and then these guys have figured it out. But I’m real happy with these guys.”

Neither team posted much offense in the first six innings. The Blue Blazes trickled in a couple runs in the third, and one more in the fourth, while the Stags tallied one in the third and another in the sixth, setting the score at 3-2 and tightening the tension. The end of the game begged for something big to happen.

In the top of the seventh, Westbrook catcher Kyle Heath stepped into the batter’s box and drove a shot into center, landing on first base. Heath stole second during pitcher Keenan Lowe’s at-bat, and Lowe then chopped a bouncy grounder that just cleared the outstretched glove of the leaping Cheverus shortstop, sending Heath home and Lowe onto first. Westbrook had opened the lead a little, 4-2.

Then, Derek Bouchard thumped the ball to shallow left-center, sticking at first while Lowe went to second. Aaron Duncanson stepped in to pinch-run for Lowe, and though Austin Blake next struck out, Duncanson had time to tear to third. Caleb Kent walked onto first before Brent Goodenow knocked a short grounder in the direction of third, allowing Duncanson to dash home, ratcheting the score to 5-2, while Bouchard took his place on third, Kent sped to second, and Goodenow stopped at first: bases loaded.

Up stepped Shumacher. He wasted little time cannoning the ball into center, driving home Bouchard and Kent and getting himself to first. It wasn’t his only huge swing of the day. He had two doubles and the single in four at-bats, and two runs of his own in addition to his pair of RBIs.

“Shumacher’s the guy I’m like, ‘You swing at the first pitch; they throw you a fastball every time,’” Souza said. “Today he figured it out: ‘First-pitch fastball, coach!’ I’ve been telling him all year [to swing at the first pitch] for two years. Big, big, big at-bats.”

Joyce followed Shumacher to the plate and, as if feeling inspired, belted a double down the right-field line. Goodenow and Shumacher crossed home, and suddenly what had been a 3-2 game not 10 minutes before was now a 9-2 blowout.

Souza also praised pitcher Lowe for his skill and resilience. “He had some pop-ups that didn’t go our way, but he battled, kept throwing strikes,” the coach said.

Lowe gets the victory, having thrown five strikeouts. Mitchell Powers absorbs the loss, despite having thrown seven strikeouts of his own.

Souza expressed admiration for Cheverus’s pitcher, and pride in his squad for their success at the plate.

“It’s a big test,” Souza said, “going against Powers. To put up 10 hits against him is that’s kind of [how] we judge, hitting a good pitcher, one of the top guys in the league. These guys should be really happy with themselves; a lot of guys did a lot of hard work.”

Westbrook takes a four-game win streak home again on Thursday at 4 p.m., when they face 2-5 Massabesic. Cheverus hopes to break a three-game losing streak against unbeaten Marshwood. That home matchup is also scheduled for Thursday at 4 p.m.

Westbrook catcher Kyle Heath tags out Cheverus’s Felix del Vecchio as he slides home.
Westbrook first baseman Zach Bean mans his defensive post.
Austin Blake takes a cut at the plate Tuesday afternoon.
Westbrook’s Keenan Lowe, mid-pitch.
Cheverus second basemen Felix del Vecchio and Westbrook runner Caleb Kent collide on the bag.