In a battle of two Class A baseball contenders, Hampden Academy held on to beat Messalonskee Tuesday afternoon 3-2.
A leadoff walk issued to Andrew Cote turned into the opening run for the Broncos. Cote stole second base and was later sent home on an RBI single from Collin Peckham to make it 1-0 in the opening frame. Hampden would build on their lead in the top of the third as back-to-back singles from Zach McLaughlin, and Peckham placed runners on first and third. Kaysen Wildman then grounded out down the third base line, allowing Mclaughlin to touch home.
Messalonskee responded quickly, putting up two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Ty Bernier drove a two-RBI base hit into right field, sending in Cash Bizier and Garrett Card.
The winning run for Hamden Academy came in the top half of the fourth inning when Andrew Cote sent Gavin Monyok home on a single, making it 3-2.
Both starting pitchers went the distance. Collin Peckham got the victory giving up two unearned runs on five hits, eight strikeouts, and zero walks. In a losing effort, Jacob Love allowed three runs on seven hits, striking out ten and walking just one.
With the loss, Messalonskee drops to 10-5. They will finish their regular season today (5/31) as they host Mt. Blue at 4:15 p.m. Hamden Academy improves to 10-5. They close out their season today on the road at Camden Hills. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30.
