AUGUSTA — It was the first game of the season for the Bessey Motors American Legion baseball team. And it still had a bad taste to get rid of.

Bessey Motors is made up entirely of players from Oxford Hills, which lost the Class A North final to Bangor, 5-1. So even though the Vikings players exchanged their high school uniforms for Legion ones, Bessey Motors manager Shane Slicer said a determination had transferred over from the spring to the summer — one that was parlayed into a 12-1 victory over Augusta Post 205 at Morton Field on Tuesday.

“We struggled the last game we played,” Slicer said. “To come out and get the bats going, it’s a good start for our season.”

Bessey Motors never let up, taking a 7-0 lead in the third inning and scoring in every inning. The team was just as effective on the mound, with Wyatte Williamson allowing only two hits while striking out three.

“It was impressive,” Slicer said. “The league’s tough, so any offense we can get is a bonus. And I thought Wyatte pitched very well today as well.”

Augusta manager Taylor Lockhart shrugged off the one-sided score.

“It’s early, first game, we’ve got kids coming from Maranacook, Hall-Dale, Winthrop, one from Cony,” he said. “We’ve just got to jell together.”

Cameron Slicer had a double among two hits, two RBIs and three runs, while Janek Luksza had two hits, two runs and an RBI, Hunter LaBossiere had two hits and two RBIs and Emery Chickering had two hits, including a double, a run and an RBI.

Cole Lockhart singled in Augusta’s only run.

Augusta batters warm up Tuesday while playing Bessey Motors during an American Legion game in Augusta.

Bessey Motors dashed any frustration at the plate in the opening innings. After Luksza singled in Cameron Slicer in the first for a 1-0 lead, Ashton Kennison singled in Slicer and LaBossiere singled in Rod Bean and Luksza in the second for a 4-0 lead.

“I thought it would be a little more difficult, their pitcher’s pretty good,” said Shane Slicer, whose team forced Augusta’s Dean Jackman to throw 66 pitches in the first two innings. “We got the bases loaded in the first inning, we got one run. (But) in the second we got the bases loaded again, we had some key hits.”

Jackman had helped lead Hall-Dale to the Class C state title, and Taylor Lockhart, keeping his pitcher’s playoff load in mind, pulled him after the second.

“Dean usually goes full games for me, but his arm’s hurting. I’m not going to run a guy’s arm when his arm’s hurting,” he said. “I had to go to the bullpen early, which isn’t ideal.”

Bessey kept the hits coming. Cameron Slicer had a two-run double to key a three-run third inning, and Bessey added two more in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth.

“It was huge to play as a team and really come out and hit the ball well after putting up only one run (against Bangor),” Cameron Slicer said. “If we keep doing that, we’re going to have a good year.”

Williamson, who aided his cause with a run and an RBI single, said the early offense allowed him to focus on pounding the strike zone. He didn’t allow a hit until the fourth, and didn’t allow the second until the seventh.

“It’s awesome when your team helps you out like that,” he said. “It’s not as much pressure when the offense is putting up runs every single inning.”

Taylor Lockhart, whose team was without four key players Tuesday, said he’s confident that Augusta will bounce back from the rough start to become a winning team as the season gets going.

“I know we’re going to be very competitive,” the manager said. “I don’t care who’s playing, we’re going to compete with anybody. … It’ll come. It’s the first game. I’m not worried.”

Drew Bonifant — 621-5638

dbonifant@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @dbonifantMTM

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