Sports Reporter
Spring came early for Aroostook County’s baseball teams, and after several outdoor workouts teams finally took to the field for regular season action beginning last week. Summaries of games played through Monday are as follows:
Mattanawcook 4, Caribou 3 – In game one of a doubleheader played Thursday in Lincoln, the host Lynx pushed across two runs in the bottom of the seventh to gain the victory.
Caribou had broken a 2-2 deadlock in the top of the fifth inning when Cameron Anderson singled with two out, stole second and came across on a throwing error. However, Mattanawcook battled back late on the strength of two-out RBI hits off the bats of Lance Bernier and Ivan Voisine.
Royce Landeen went the distance on the mound for Caribou, walking just one batter while allowing nine hits. Mattanawcook’s Tyler Tash fanned 11 and gave up just three hits in his complete-game performance.
Ted Walker and Lance LaMothe joined Anderson in collecting hits for Caribou.
Mattanawcook 7, Caribou 6 – Game two of the twinbill was a squeaker, but it didn’t start out that way. The Lynx bolted to a 6-0 advantage after three innings before Caribou rallied to tie the score in the sixth.
The Vikings got on the board in the fourth as Chad Caverhill doubled, Anderson singled and both baserunners scored on RBIs by Ethan McDuffie and Steven St. Peter.
Caribou took advantage of a pair of Mattanawcook miscues in the top of the sixth to score four more times and tie the score. Caverhill doubled, Anderson and McDuffie posted RBI singles and Ted Walker ripped a run-scoring triple. Caleb Chapman drove in the fourth run of the frame on an RBI groundout.
However, the Lynx again used some seventh-inning heroics to battle to the win on Mike Thibodeau’s one-out RBI single to score Chase Vicaire for the difference-making run.
Chapman pitched the final four innings for the Vikes in relief of Anderson, who went the first two. Chapman took the loss despite allowing just the one run during his stint.
Caribou’s defense was impressive in both ends of the doubleheader, as the team committed just one error in each game.
Katahdin 14, Fort Fairfield 5 – At Stacyville Monday, the Cougars were too much for the visiting Tigers in the respective openers for both squads. Brady McNally had three hits and four RBI and Colby Gallagher blasted a home run as Katahdin came out on top.
Fort Fairfield committed seven errors in the game. Austin Bernier hit a two-run double and Landon Keizer added an RBI single for the Tigers, who led 5-4 entering the bottom of the fourth before the Cougars took over.
Southern Aroostook 13, Limestone-MSSM 0 – At Limestone Monday, Warrior pitcher Patrick Goodall tossed a two-hit shutout in his five innings of work and also helped his cause with a three-run home run as Southern Aroostook moved to 2-0 on the season with the lopsided win, which was called after five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Nick Whitehead and Nate Berube had the lone hits for the Eagles. Aaron St. Pierre started and suffered the loss on the mound.
