Beverly/Lowell third baseman Grady Hesson tags out Cambridge/Belle Valley base runner Chase Miller in the sixth inning Thursday night at Fort Frye High School. (Photo by Mike Morrison)

BEVERLY- The MVP in Thursday night’s 8-2 win for Beverly/Lowell (Post 389/750) over Cambridge/Belle Valley (Post 84/641) would have to go to the Beverly/Lowell grounds crew also known as the defending state champion baseball team.

After a quick shower dumped a whole bunch of water on the field resulting in a stoppage of play after the third inning, the Beverly/Lowell players went to work with shovels, rakes, speedy dry and even the foam part out of sofa cushions to get the field back into playing shape.

One hour and fifteen minutes later play resumed and the Boys of Summer went on to post their third consecutive win of the week and their 18th of the season.

The game began under sunny skies and was a pretty good pitchers duel between BevLow’s Jenner Burge and CBV’s Tyler Harrell over the first three innings.

Cambridge/Belle Valley scored a run in their first at-bat off Burge as Garrett Carpenter walked to lead off the game and moved to second on a base hit by Mason Gregg.

Beverly/Lowell’s Jack McCurdy makes contact for a base hit in Thursday night’s 8-2 win over Cambridge/Belle Valley at Fort Frye High School. (Photo by Mike Morrison)

Harrell helped his own cause by driving in Carpenter on an infield ground out for the game’s first run.

Post 389/750 answered with a solo run of their own in the bottom of the first as Cam Sidwell singled, stole second and eventually came into score on an infield ground out by first baseman Kainan Bradford.

Burge recovered nicely after a rocky first inning and retired CBV in order over the next two innings while Harrell stranded a pair of Beverly/Lowell baserunners in the bottom of the third.

While Bev/Low was batting in the third the rains began to fall and a steady downpour dropped quite a bit of water on the field.

Along with coaches Trey and Tate Engle the Beverly/Lowell team went to work on the field and as the sunshine came back out play would resume just before 8 p.m.

Burge returned to the mound for B/L and was touched up for a run in the top of the fourth when Brody Brown reached on a fielding error, moved into scoring position on a single by Chase Miller and came into score on a hit by Jackson Cabot.

Cabot took over for Harrell on the mound in the bottom of the fourth and Post 389/750 jumped all over him to take their first lead of the game.

Grady Hesson got things started with a single and one out later moved to third on an opposite-field double off the bat of Dominic Fry.

Wade Duskey’s infield grounder got the tying run in before Jack McCurdy’s opposite field double to left field plated Fry with the go-ahead run.

Beverly/Lowell increased their lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth on a lead-off single by right fielder Easton Walker, a Bradford double and a sacrifice fly by Hesson.

Burge seemed to get stronger as the game went along as he held CBV in check in the fifth and sixth innings, recording four strikeouts along the way.

With darkness quickly setting in Beverly/Lowell broke things wide open in the bottom of the sixth.

An RBI single by McCurdy and a run-scoring double by Sidwell accounted for two of the four runs they would score in the sixth.

Pinch-hitter Witten Schaad drew a bases loaded walk and a wild pitch allowed another run to score to increase their lead to 8-2.

After another base on balls the home plate umpire would determine it was too dark to continue and the game was called.

Burge allowed four hits while walking two and fanning seven to pick up the win for Beverly/Lowell who improves to 18-7-1 with the win.

Cabot took the loss for Cambridge/Belle Valley who falls to 15-11 in defeat.

Beverly/Lowell will not have much time to relish their victory as they travel to Lancaster Friday for a double header with the first game against Midland Michigan at 10 a.m. followed by a game with Wheeling.

American Legion Baseball

Beverly/Lowell (Post 389/750) 8, Cambridge/Belle Valley (Post 84/641) 2

CBV 100 100 2-4-1

BVL 100 214 8-9-2

WP: Jenner Burge 6IP, 4H, 2R, ER, 2BB, 7SO

LP: Jackson Cabot: 2IP, 5H, 3ER, Tyler Harrell: 3IP, 2H, ER, 2BB, 3 SO, Austin Warner: .1 IP, 2H, 4R, 3ER, 3 BB.

Top Hitters

Cambridge/Belle Valley (15-11)

Chase Miller 2-3, Mason Gregg 1-3, Jackson Cabot 1-1, RBI, Tyler Harrell 0-3, RBI.

Beverly/Lowell (18-7-1)

Cam Sidwell 2-4, 2R, RBI, 2B, Easton Walker 2-3, 2R, Jack McCurdy 2-2, R, 2 RBI, 2B, Kainan Bradford 1-2, 2B, Grady Hesson 1-1, R, RBI, Dominic Fry 1-3, 2R, 2B.

Next Game: Friday at Beaver Field, Lancaster, Beverly Lowell vs. Midland Michigan 10 a.m., Beverly/Lowell vs. Wheeling 12:30 p.m.