LISBON — Solid pitching and timely two-out hitting are often the keys to a successful baseball team.

Lisbon displayed both on Wednesday, a deadly combination that led to a 9-2 Mountain Valley Conference high school win over Carrabec.

Lefty hurler Tyler Halls struck out six of the first eight Cobras he faced, finishing with 11 punch-outs and a three-hit complete game.

At the plate, the Greyhounds scored eight of their nine runs with two outs.

With the win, Lisbon, which sits fourth in the tightly-packed Class C South Heal Point Standings, improved to 9-3, while the Cobras fell to 6-6.

“It is the first time that we have done that this year, and it is huge,” said Lisbon coach Randy Ridley of his team’s two-out hitting. “You have to have a good mental approach, and when you get your pitch you can’t miss it. Today we did not miss it.

“Tyler had a couple moments where he struggled a bit, but when he settled in he was dominant and kept them off-balance with his three pitches.”

Halls threw 105 pitches. He retired the first eight hitters in the contest before Carrabec No. 9 hitter Jacob Atwood dropped a single into left-center field. Halls quickly picked Atwood off of first base.

“I knew that they were a good team, having beat Oak Hill, and I was able to switch it up and keep them guessing,” Halls, who walked three, said.

Lucas Francis delivered a key two-out hit in a three-run Lisbon third inning. Leading 1-0, Halls singled and stole second. One out later, Francis singled to left field to double the Greyhounds’ lead, and two batters later Nick Lerette drove in Francis and Austin Fournier (2-for-4, double, RBI) for a 4-0 Lisbon advantage.

“You have two outs, make a decent pitch and we get a hit. It is demoralizing to the other team,” Ridley said.

“You have to execute with two outs and we were able to do that and get the runs in,” said Francis, who was 2-for-4 with two RBIs. “I think we are great right now. We have come together as a team.”

Early advantage

Fournier’s RBI double in the first inning plated Ryley Austin, who had walked and advanced a base on a ground out.

Carrabec picked up its first run in the fifth inning when Lucas Murray lifted a sacrifice fly to score Evan Holzworth.

But, Lisbon answered with a run in the home half of the fifth as Austin doubled and scored on a Francis single.

The Cobras tacked on a sixth-inning run as Dustin Crawford scored on a grounder by Dylan Willett.

The Greyhounds put the visitors away in the sixth. An error with two outs opened the door, with Noah Austin singling and Ryley Austin driving in a pair with a single. Two more runs scored on a second Carrabec error on a ground ball by Halls.

Holzworth went the distance for Carrabec. He threw 109 pitches with three strikeouts and two walks.

Ridley likes where his team is at, with a trip to Boothbay slated for Friday.

“Physically, we are ready to go. The biggest part for us is going pitch to pitch and playing seven innings with good mental focus,” Ridley said. “They had a couple hits here and there, and it didn’t bother us.”

Ryley Austin was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.