AUBURN — Base hits were not a perquisite for scoring runs in Thursday’s KVAC clash between Oxford Hills and Edward Little. In fact, they were sometimes detrimental to the cause.

This was not good news for an Edward Little team that has struggled with the leather through the first month of the season. Yet, thanks to a gritty pitching effort by John Simpson and some clutch hitting by Evan Raymond, the Red Eddies were able to push the Vikings to the twilight at Pettengill Park.

Unfortunately for EL, the defensive struggles arose again in the 10th inning, as Oxford Hills scored three runs without a hit to pull away for a 6-3 win.

“We’ve been talking about fundamentals all week long,” Edward Little coach Scott Annear said. “The kids absolutely understand it. It’s about executing those simple things, the simple things of being in the right place at the right time and executing a quality throw and not getting eaten up on a ground ball.”

The Vikings (6-1) were far from perfect. Their only error led to Raymond’s two-run single that tied the game 3-3, in the sixth. A couple of mental errors in the field and on the base paths also kept them from putting the Eddies away earlier.

“There definitely was a let up,” Slicer said. “We’ve struggled to have someone lead us consistently offensively, but they find a way to win. They make plays. The pitching staff puts you on edge. Simpson pitched awesome, but we didn’t have to use a guy for nine innings because we have some depth in our pitching staff.”

Simpson held the Vikings in check for nine innings, surrendering just six hits and three walks. He didn’t strike out anybody, but he did pick off two runners, and none of the three runs he gave up were earned.

“He told me he felt 70 percent at the start of the game and, I don’t know, somewhere around the fifth or sixth inning he said, ‘Coach, I feel like I’m 100 percent,'” Annear said. “He got first-pitch strikes and didn’t get into long counts.”

Oxford Hills starter Dalton Rice (six innings, seven hits, three runs, one earned, three strikeouts, no walks, one hit batter) allowed a run in the first, then held the Eddies (1-5) scoreless through the next four.

“My fastball was working well,” Rice said. “I got tired late in the game, but other than that everything was working well.”

“He got guys 0-2. He wasn’t erratic,” Slicer said. “He just needs to get a little finer 0-2. He had the same problem against Cony the other day. They hit the ball hard a few times, but they got a lot of dinkers, a lot more than we got. I thought he pitched well.”

The Vikings tied the game with an unearned run in the second, then took a 3-1 lead in the third thanks to three more EL errors. The Eddies recovered in time to help Simpson out of further trouble by turning an inning-ending double play, and Simpson went on to retire the next seven in a row. He allowed just three base runners (two singles, walk) over his final six innings.

The Eddies staged a two-out rally to tie it in the sixth, starting with an error and an infield single by Sean Ford. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position before Raymond stroked a 1-2 pitch up the middle, with a sliding Ford just barely beating center fielder Nick Bowie’s throw home to tie the game.

EL put runners on against Oxford Hills reliever Walter Feeney in each of his three innings of relief, but the lefty battled out of trouble every time.

Lew Jensen wasn’t so fortunate in relief of Simpson. Ben Bowie led off the 10th with a walk, then beat the throw to second on Matt Beauchesne’s grounder. A throwing error on Nick Attaliades-Ryan’s bunt scored Bowie. Another throwing error on a steal attempt plated Beauchesne and Nick Bowie rounded out the inning with a sacrifice fly.

EL loaded the bases against Garrett Fillebrown in the bottom of the 10th, but he ended the threat with a pop out and a ground out.

Rice had two hits to lead the Vikings. Mike Hammond went 3-for-5 to lead EL.