Spruce Mountain catcher Noah Gilbert keeps his eye on incoming Monmouth Academy’s Hayden Fletchr (12) as umpire Jeff Benson gets ready to make the call at the plate in a Mountain Valley Conference baseball game in Livermore Falls on Saturday. Sun Journal photo by Tony Blasi

LIVERMORE FALLS — Undefeated Monmouth Academy showed some patience, got back in the swing of things and ate away at Spruce Mountain’s lead before the Mustangs distanced themselves with a six-run outburst in the sixth inning.

Monmouth (3-0) ended up with a 13-5 victory in a Mountain Valley Conference baseball game under cloudy skies on Saturday afternoon.

“We just kind of waited for the bats to get going,” Monmouth Academy coach Eric Palleschi said. “Base running was a little sloppy, Guys just not executing, you know. 

“Hitters, we finally left the ball alone, waited to get it down and drilled some nice line drives up the middle. We are not the type of team who will hit the ball 500 feet. We are the team that is going to drive the ball through the gap and through the holes.”

The score was tied at 5-5 going into the sixth inning when the Mustangs used three timely hits and capitalized on an error and five walks to bring home six runs.

Starting pitcher Corey Armstrong, who had three hits and drove in three runs, belted a two-run single in the sixth. Tom Neal had an RBI single and Dylan Lajoie smacked one of his two doubles.

Armstrong didn’t get the win, but after Monmouth used two more pitchers to stave off the Phoenix, Cam Armstrong came on in the top of the fifth and went the distance from there to collect the win.

“Cam’s been throwing. He’s a sophomore. He is just trying to feel people out,” Palleschi said. “We haven’t had many games. We have had only two games so I don’t know who’s what yet.”

The Mustangs picked up two more runs in the top of the seventh with the help of two errors and Matt Fortin, who picked up an RBI when he walked with the bases loaded.

Before Monmouth’s explosive sixth inning, the Phoenix had the upper hand for the first four innings. Spruce scored first when third baseman Jack Gilbert walked with the bases loaded, bringing home Brett Hunt in the bottom of the first inning.

“I thought we played very well to start out,” Spruce Mountain coach David Frey said. “The third, fourth and fifth, we had bases loaded and couldn’t put a run over.

“That sixth inning, they scored the runs. We gave a few free passes and they had some good, timely hits. I thought they were very good. They hit the ball well.”

But the Mustangs tied the game in the top of the second with two outs. Corey Armstrong singled and scored after Lajoie walked with the bases loaded.

The Phoenix (2-4) responded in the bottom half with a three-run uprising. Outfielder Isaac Parker scored after he got on with an error and Hunt ripped an RBI triple, catcher Noah Gilbert responded with an RBI single and Connor Beaulieu brought home another run with his walk.

The Mustangs continued to push forward in the top of the third inning. Outfielder Kane Gold and Corey Armstrong each hammered an RBI single to make it a 4-3 game.

Hunt’s RBI single, which scored Parker, gave Spruce a two-run lead in the bottom of the third, but the Mustangs picked up a run in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game.

Logan Moffett, who replaced starting pitcher Beaulieu, got the loss for the Phoenix. For the day, Monmouth collected nine hits and made four errors. The Phoenix mustered five hits and made five errors.

“I thought Spruce did well,” Palleschi said. “I saw them play earlier in the year against Mountain Valley. I think they have come a long way defensively. 

“I think they will be fine. They have some bats in their lineup who can hit. You know, I think they will win some games.”

Spruce Mountain starting pitcher Connor Beaulieu delivers a pitch in an MVC baseball game against Monmouth Academy in Livermore Falls on Saturday. Sun Journal photo by Tony Blasi