Jake Arel of Central Maine Community College throws to first base after forcing out Quincy’s Angel Alverio out at second base during Monday’s doubleheader in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

AUBURN — Central Maine Community College bounced back from a big loss in the opener to salvage a split with a 10-3 victory over Quincy College in the second game of a college baseball doubleheader in Auburn on Monday.

CMCC coach Ryan Palmer said the Mustangs’ (29-10 overall, 9-4 this spring) bats waited a while to wake up. They stranded eight batters in the first game, an 8-1 loss, and the first three innings into the second game looked like much more of the same.

While Quincy scored a run in each of the first three innings, CM hit into three consecutive inning-ending double plays.

“I thought, ‘Not again,’” Palmer said. “The second pitcher (Elijah Watt-Murray) didn’t throw nearly as hard, so I knew we had to get the bats going, and when the bats woke up I knew we’d be OK. It was a slow start and it was nerve-wracking.”

The Mustangs’ offense finally came alive in the fourth inning.

Stefan Lesco got it started with a double to left field. He then scored on Corey Armstrong’s single to get the Mustangs on the board.

Armstrong scored on a double steal executed by he and Caleb Valliere, who reached on an error, and Cole Brown singled home Valliere to tie the game at 3-3.

The Mustangs’ offense got back to work in the fifth.

Rolando Rodriguez doubled and Jimmy Reed singled, giving CMCC runners at the corners. Jake Arel laid down a safety squeeze bunt with Reed attempting to steal second and Rodriguez waiting until the ball was thrown to first before leaving third and bolting home for the go-ahead run and a 4-3 Mustangs lead.

“Second game, our bats came to life, for sure,” Lesco said. “Everyone was hitting, Jimmy got on, Jake got on and we just circled around.”

Lesco followed with a double that brought home Reed from second. Lesco scored easily on a single by Caden Truman to made the lead 6-3.

The Mustangs pulled out of the Granite’s reach in the bottom of the sixth. Rodriguez singled in Brown, and Lesco capped the scoring with a three-run homer that pushed CMCC’s lead to 10-3.

Brown singled then scored on a single from Rodriguez, followed by a single from Reed. With two runners on and two outs, Lesco hit a three-run home run to put the Mustangs ahead 10-3.

“I was seeing the ball really well,” Lesco said. “Even before the first game, in batting practice, I was working (opposite field) and then I got in a rhythm in the first game. Everything felt good.”

Lesco, a sophomore from Somers, Connecticut, finished the doubleheader with six hits, two doubles, a triple, a home run, a stolen base, three runs and four RBIs.

Central Maine Community College’s Stefan Lesco rounds first base on his way to a triple during Monday’s doubleheader against Quincy in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

“What people don’t know is that Stefan had a lot of D-I offers,” Palmer said. “They didn’t work out for one reason or another, and so he decided to come back to school and come with us for a year or so. He is about as good as they come. He’s a difficult out and his glove at shortstop is stellar. He was a great pickup.”

Shane Sullivan pitched the final three innings for the Mustangs, striking out two and allowing no runs, to earn the win. He also pitched three scoreless innings (with six strikeouts) in the opener.

“He only threw 20-something pitches in the first game, so I asked him how he felt, and he said, ‘If you need me for a couple innings, I’ll be ready to go,’” Palmer said. “We did, and, boy, was he good.”

GRANITE TAKE OPENER

The Mustangs opened the scoring in the first game when Reed drove in Reid Cote (who doubled) to grab a 1-0 lead in the second inning. But that was the only scoring CMCC managed in the opener.

Quincy grabbed the lead for good in the top of the third on a two-run double by Sam Marlatt that scored James Keefe and Mike Scibilio. Two batters later, Anthony Dunlavey singled in Marlatt to put the Granite ahead 3-1. 

Central Maine Community College’s Caleb Valliere pitches during Monday’s doubleheader against Quincy in Auburn. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Quincy added five runs in the fourth. Scibilio doubled home a pair of runs and Marlatt hit a two-run homer for a 7-1 lead. Cole Perkins followed the home run with a single and three batters later scored on a single by Mitch Murphy that gave the Granite an 8-1 advantage.

“Game one we just came out flat,” Palmer said. “We saw a good pitcher, and that was quite honestly the worst defensive game we’ve played all year. We were just putrid. We couldn’t get anything going offensively, he threw hard and mixed in the slow stuff.”

Anthony Dunlavey pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts for Quincy, which, with small roster, was playing the first of two consecutive days of doubleheaders.

“Our pitcher, Anthony, did a great job,” Quincy coach Jim Dolan said. “He went the distance. As you see, we’re a first-year program, we’re undermanned and we have 14 guys today. They all did a good job, but Anthony had eight strikeouts, pitched to contact. We’re supposed to play two again tomorrow, so you have to be cognizant of the pitch counts so Anthony going the distance was huge.”

Dunlavey also notched three of the Granite’s 14 hits, tying Marlatt for the team lead.