LISBON — Hunter Brissette has relished the role he has been given by Lisbon High School baseball coach Randy Ridley. Brissette serves as Ridley’s leadoff hitter, the man who sets the table for the big bats that follow.
On Saturday in a key Mountain Valley Conference matchup with Winthrop, Brissette set the table for a big four-run first inning, and did the same thing in the second as the Greyhounds rolled to an 11-3 victory and a perfect 14-0 record.
Brissette was 2-for-3, singling in his first two at-bats and coming around to score as Lisbon claimed a 7-1 lead after two frames. He lofted a sacrifice fly to plate Lisbon’s final run, and stole two bases while playing a solid third base.
“Anytime we can get things going at the top of the lineup, it relaxes the guys down the order and we get some good swings and get good contact,” Ridley said. “We don’t have a lot of power, but we have good singles hitters who make things happen.”
“The most important thing is to get on right away, and then the two, three, four hitters get me in,” added Brissette. “It is always important to get up early. This has been a blast.”
Things started bumpy for the Greyhounds as Winthrop’s Ryan Baird drove a 2-2 pitch from Lisbon pitcher Lucas Francis over the right-field fence for a 1-0 Ramblers lead.
But Lisbon quickly answered. Brissette singled just inside the third-base bag, and Noah Austin walked. With one out, Neil LaRochelle’s grounder was misplayed, with Brissette scoring and Austin hustling to third. An RBI single by Jack Tibbetts put Lisbon ahead, and DJ Douglass drove in a pair with a single for a 4-1 Greyhound lead.
“We had that one inning where I thought we would surprise them, but they are a good ballclub that played up to its potential,” said Winthrop (9-5) coach Dave Theriault. “We made a few errors and they made us pay.”
Francis found his rhythm on the mound, retiring 11 straight Ramblers.
“Lucas is a gamer and will try to dominate anyway that he can. He gave up that home run, a curveball that Ryan hit hard over the fence, and after that he settled right in and our defense held up,” said Ridley.
Lisbon’s offense kept things going. In the second, Brissette singled and Austin reached on Winthrop’s fourth miscue. Francis lifted a sacrifice fly ball to score Brissette, and LaRochelle and Levi Levesque added RBI singles for a 7-1 Lisbon advantage.
The Greyhounds, who scored in five of their six frames, made it 8-1 in the third when Brissette trucked home on a passed ball.
Winthrop broke through in the fifth. Chase Keezer singled and Cameron Hachey doubled to the left-center field gap. Jackson Ladd picked up an RBI with a single.
The Ramblers also left the bases loaded in the sixth and tacked on a run in the seventh when Ladd, who was 2-for-4, doubled and eventually scored on a Francis wild pitch.
Lisbon finished with 12 hits off three Winthrop pitchers (Colby Emery, Owen Foster, Logan Baird), with Douglass picking up three hits, including a double. Austin was 2-for-3 with a triple and three runs scored, while Levesque added two hits.
Francis threw 100 pitches. He struck out nine, hit two Winthrop hitters and allowed six hits.
The teams will not have to wait long to meet again, with Lisbon heading to Winthrop on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
“We’ll see them again, and I’m sure we will see Ryan Baird on the mound, a good pitcher, and we will see what happens,” Ridley said.
“Is it a blessing?” asked Theriault. “We will like playing at home and it will be a new day. Hopefully we can get some momentum going heading into the playoffs.”
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