In a game where hits were difficult to come by, it was some hit batters that eventually proved to be the difference at Fossum Field on Monday afternoon. Groton took advantage of four batters hit by pitch to score three runs in the top of the 11th inning en route to a 5-3 victory over the Aberdeen Smittys in American Legion baseball action. The teams combined for just 13 hits and there was only one extra-base hit in the contest. "It just kind of took us a little while to get back in the groove a little bit with the long weekend from the Fourth," said Smittys coach Nathan Gonnelly. "Our bats were a little bit slow and we gave the other team a lot of free bases. We walked a couple of guys, that didn’t help, and then they put the ball in play and there’s a couple of runs here and there." Gavin Englund threw a strong nine innings before giving way to Dillon Abeln for the final two frames as the hurlers combined to contain a potent Smittys lineup. "I felt like we left a lo