WATERVILLE — The Messalonskee High School baseball team continued its season-opening roll on Friday afternoon, pounding out 12 hits, including four for extra bases, in a 9-5 win over Skowhegan at Thomas College.

Trailing 6-5, Skowhegan had the tying run in scoring position in both the fifth and sixth innings but couldn’t push the would-be tying run across. Messalonskee pulled away with three runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth.

“We left a lot of guys on base. But that’s baseball,” Skowhegan coach Rick York said. “That’s a tough team, and I’m happy with the way my kids played. Being down four runs and storming right back.”

The Eagles (4-0) have scored at least six runs in each game this season and are feeding off their offensive prowess.

“We’re keeping everybody up in the dugout, really, keeping it live. No matter what they’re doing on offense. We don’t care about that. We’re going out and doing our own thing,” senior Devin Warren said.

Warren had three hits, including an RBI triple in the first inning, to stake Messalonskee to a 2-0 lead. Warren took a high-and-outside fastball to dead center field.

“I saw it there and thought I could get a good piece on it, so I took it,” said Warren, who added an RBI single in the sixth inning.

“The Warren kid, he killed us,” York said.

Messalonskee added two more runs in the second inning. Connor Garland drove in Trevor Gettig with a double, then scored on a throwing error.

“I guess we just kept putting pressure on with our hitting and getting runners on. That put pressure on their defense. We were fortunate to get a couple runs on that error,” Messalonskee coach Ray Bernier said.

After going down quietly in the first two innings, Skowhegan’s offense came to life in the third. The Indians scored four runs in the third to tie the game, and York said it was because of better pitch selection.

“Off the get-go, it (pitch selection) was real bad,” York said. “The kids decided they were going to take some good hacks at some good pitches, and things happened.”

Nate Morris doubled to drive in a run for Skowhegan (2-2), then Trey Michonski’s two-run double cut Messalonskee’s lead to 4-3. Michonski scored on a groundout to tie the game.

Neither starting pitcher, Messalonskee’s Ben Frazee nor Skowhegan’s Chase Nelson, made it out of the fourth inning. Garland pitched three innings of relief, allowing one run, to earn the win for the Eagles.

“Pitching was up and down, but at least we were able to change pitchers and still get something out of it to keep them off balance. They were hitting the ball pretty well,” Bernier said.

Messalonskee took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double by Jake Dexter and a single by Jonathan Wilkie.

Skowhegan got a run back in the fifth when Nelson singled to score Michonski.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242 tlazarczyk@centralmaine.comTwitter: @TLazarczykMTM