Staff Writer
The fields were abuzz with energy and bugs on Tuesday, June 2 as the Presque Isle Wildcats prepared to play the Caribou Vikings for their final regular season game.
Presque Isle, seeded ninth, lost 12-4 to the fifth place Vikes earlier in the season and it seemed like things were headed that way again. Both teams kept silent during the first inning as pitchers Brennen Shaw and Chad McCarthy took the mound.
Caribou’s second inning at-bat put the Vikings on the scoreboard and in the lead as Ted Walker stepped up to the plate, cracking a two-run homer that even the wind couldn’t suppress. It was all the Wildcats could do to steady themselves in the second and third innings as they struggled to retaliate, but remained scoreless, leaving multiple runners in scoring positions each inning. “We started off with confidence and [Walker] hit a good home run. Luckily there weren’t a lot on base … you play the cards you’re dealt,” said Coach Olore. “The three runs frustrated [Shaw] but I told him to calm down.”
A third inning solo home run by Viking Matt Kinney widened the gap even further, but double play by third baseman Zac Campbell kept the Vikings from gaining a bigger lead.
“We work on [those kinds of] situations daily; hitting the cutoffs, running the double plays,” Olore explained. “I hollered out to them before that pitch, ‘If it comes your way, go three to one on the play’ and they did.” Despite a third-inning double by Wildcat Wilder York, the game headed into the fourth inning with Caribou leading 3-0.
The Vikings failed to score in their fourth at-bat as Presque Isle turned two again, with Campbell taking the second out. Campbell’s versatility extended beyond the field, however, and as the infielder stepped up to bat, he nailed a two-run homer to put the ‘Cats on the board, though still trailing 3-2.
“Once [Campbell] hit that ball, things changed tremendously and we found momentum,” stated Olore. That moment carried itself back onto the field as Shaw took the mound. “[Brennen] probably had more ‘get-up’ at the end of the game than the beginning. When the bench gets going, all of a sudden you’ve got this mojo that affects the whole team.” Shaw remained controlled on the mound for the duration of the game and kept Caribou scoreless in the final three innings.
But Presque Isle’s offense exploded at the bottom of the fifth with a five-run rally with two additional RBIs from Campbell. And Olore noticed. “He had a very good night [Tuesday] with four RBIs, three hits and that single, but Zac’s been a steady hitter since day one. Last night was our 22nd game, and he’s been swinging from the beginning.” Campbell’s offensive and defensive versatility has earned him the sixth place spot in the batting line-up.
“He plays third and sometimes covers first, and is a DH. Campbell’s just one player, but he may as well be four players.” Also hot at bat were Ethan Braley and Isaac LaJoie with two singles each, and catcher Steve Ford who doubled and singled.
By the end of the fifth inning, Presque Isle had taken a surprising 7-3 lead and added one more run in the sixth for good measure to finish out the game and take the turnaround win 8-3 with 15 hits.
The Wildcats finished their season 8-8 and their most recent win, combined with upsets downstate, pushed them into ninth place. For their preliminary playoff game, Presque Isle traveled to Caribou June 9 to take on the Vikings yet again, this time with the future of the 2009 playoffs on the line.
“After we won Tuesday night, MDI knocked off Ellsworth and that shifted a bunch of points,” explained Olore. “I thought we might play Rockland because they had lost the night before, but all of sudden Caribou jumped into the picture.” Olore and his boys hadn’t expected to see the Vikings again this early in the playoffs but, “it is what it is,” said the Wildcat coach.
“We’ve already proven we can play and win.” And though the Wildcats lost their initial game against the Vikings, the June 9 matchup had its advantages. “We’re not riding the bus 4-5 hours somewhere to play and we’ll be close to home which means a lot of our fans can come. We have a lot of nice things working in our favor. Caribou has a very nice team and it’s their home game. We’re going over there same way we approached Tuesday’s game.”
If Olore and his team were surprised by how the bracket fell, it didn’t show and, in the days after their final home game and the prelim game, Olore’s practices remained consistent.
“We hammered a lot of fundamentals and we prepare for the worst, that way something good has a chance of happening. We’ve covered our drills, bunts situations and double cut offs. I know our kids are excited about this game.”
Though Olore is depending on the whole bench to step up their play and come through in clutch situations, his confidence rests heavily in the hands of catcher Steven Ford.
“He [Ford] is an unsung person on this team,” commented Olore. “I don’t know how many runs and runners he prevents from advancing with his catching.” Throughout the year, and especially during the ‘Cats final home game, Olore depended on Ford for consistency and on-the-field coaching.
“When Brennen gave up a couple homers [June 3] Steven went out and calmed him down. He’s my eyes and ears on the field and we communicate all the time. He saves me from having to come out on the mound and he’s a catcher umpires like to ump behind. He’s consistently blocking the balls, working the strikes and protecting the ump.”
No matter how their playoff game against Caribou ends, the Wildcats journeyed to the Vikings’ home territory content with the goals they’ve made and surpassed this season.
“We’ve already achieved a lot of our goals. We were successful in our spring trip, we won more games than last year and we made the playoffs. Of course, our ultimate goal is always to win it. So we’re going over to try and do what we’ve been doing. If we do that then we already know we can win.”
Results from last night’s preliminary playoff game will be posted in next week’s Star-Herald, along with Thursday night’s quarterfinal game.
Staff photo/Abigail Hunt
THE RALLY BEGAN when third baseman Zac Campbell knocked a fourth inning two-run homer over the fence to put the Wildcats on the scoreboard, trailing the Vikings 3-2. Campbell’s teammates swarmed home plate to congratulate the athlete and, above, Campbell receives a congratulatory high-five from assistant coach York. Presque Isle rallied again in the fifth inning to take an eventual and permanent 8-3 lead which Caribou was unable to rise above.
Staff photo/Abigail Hunt
NAILING THE STRIKEZONE, pitcher Brennen Shaw only allowed Caribou’s bench six hits and three runs in the Wildcat’s June 2 home game against the Vikes. Presque Isle came back from a three-run deficit to clinch the win 8- 3.
