ESSEX — Host Essex on Wednesday dealt the Addison County American Legion baseball team a 7-3 setback in the Northern Division opener for both teams. 
AC was also set to visit Franklin County on Friday and then travel to Colchester on Tuesday before hosting Colchester on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Middlebury College baseball diamond. 
Vs. Essex last Wednesday, four Essex hurlers held AC to one hit, a Devon Kimball single, although AC showed patience at the plate and drew 10 walks, three with the bases loaded, to produce runs. 
But Essex took a 5-0 lead off AC starter Hunter O’Connor. Essex scored three runs in the first on four singles, an error and a sacrifice fly; two in the second on two walks and a single; and another in the third on two singles and an error. 
Essex added single runs in the fourth and fifth against reliever George Bailey on five more singles before Will Wormer tossed a scoreless sixth.
AC scored its first run in the fourth on Kimball’s single and walks to Adam Whitcomb, Dustin Whitcomb and Greg Whitney, with Whitney picking up the RBI. 
AC scored twice in the fifth. Bruce Wright was hit by a pitch to lead off, and Jeffrey Stearns walked. They both scored when Kimball, Oakley Gordon and Adam Whitney all walked, with Gordon and Whitney driving in the runs. 
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Cory Giannelli started for Essex and pitched 3.1 innings and gave up the only hit, and Garrett Somerset, Theo McDowell and Nick DiLello all pitched hitless relief. Abe Koval drove in four runs with three hits, and Ryan Young and George Goldsworthy had two hits apiece.