WESTMINSTER — When Cooper Long enrolls in Castleton in the fall he would like to play baseball. If he has a chance of making that team he will have to make an impression on Bob Godlewski, the Castleton pitching coach. So it was kind of like an audition night for Long who pitches American Legion ball for Bellows Falls who Thursday night was matched up with Lakes Region, a team coached by Godlewski. It’s safe to say that Long didn’t hurt his chances.

“The kid pitched good,” said Godlewski. “We couldn’t do anything with the bats.”

Bellows Falls didn’t do a whole lot with the bats either, but enough to post a 3-1 win.

It was a win that Bellows Falls really needed and loss that Lakes Region didn’t want. Bellows Falls has been struggling, entering the game at 1-4. However, all 14 players showed up.

“We finally had everybody finally here,” said BF coach Bob Lockerby.

Meanwhile, Fair Haven was missing three players, but Godlewski wasn’t blaming that on the defeat. “We have no excuses,” he said. “Sure we were missing kids, but this is summer baseball and these things happen.”

What Godlewski is probably did not like was a look at his scorebook that showed the 4-9 batters were 0-for-14.

Long is not the type of pitcher that is going to blow people away with his speed, but he keeps the ball down, using the curse to hit the outside of the plate to right-handed batters and his fastball to go inside.

“He’s smart,” said Lockerby.

While Long knew he pitched a nice game he was sorry about a couple of things.

“I don’t like to walk people and the coach doesn’t like me to walk people,“ said Long who walked four.

He also thought he made a bad pitch to in the fifth to Derek Hernandez, who gapped the ball to right-center for a double.

“I got that ball up too much,” Long said. “Not good.”

Lakes Region came into the game at 3-1 and off an impressive 2-0 win over Bennington on Wednesday. Was there a carryover from that big win? “I don’t think so,” said Godlewski. “We just didn’t hit tonight.”

Long ended up throwing 106 pitches. He walked four and gave up four hits.

Ben Brown had a solid game on the mound for Lakes Region. He also threw 106 pitches. He gave up nine hits with nine strikeouts and one base on balls.

There were several other factors that led to the Post 37 win, including two double plays, and key third outs with men on base, particularly in the fifth inning when Lakes Region loaded the base and had Jackson Howe, with two hits already, at the plate. Long got Howe to ground out to short to end the threat.

Lakes Region’s only run came in the first and it was an inning with a potential for more. With one out Dakota Euber singled, stole second and rambled home as Howe doubled down the line in left. But Howe stayed there as the next two batters rolled out.

In the second and third innings Lakes Region got a runner on first with one out, but double plays took those opportunities away. The double play in the third was a dandy. With Hernandez on first, Euber bunted, but BF first baseman Jeremy Kilburn raced in from first and caught the ball on the fly as he rolled to the turf. He still had time to double up Hernandez at first.

Bellows Falls got two runs in the second as Mike LaBeau singled and Brendan Hackett reached on an error. A fielder’s choice moved the runners over then Matt Marchica got the biggest hit of the night, a two-run single to left. The third BF run came in the fourth when Tim Rumrill doubled and Salty Fitzpatrick singled him home.

Bellows Falls plays at Bennington tonight. Lakes Region off until Sunday when they go to Windsor for a doubleheader.